Vectors Research Management LLC Purchases 80 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vectors Research Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.7%

CAT opened at $366.65 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $335.33 and a 200-day moving average of $346.24. The company has a market capitalization of $172.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.37. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. The trade was a 5.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Oppenheimer upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $395.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $376.67.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.