Wealth Watch Advisors INC Lowers Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Wealth Watch Advisors INC trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 28.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,227 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 882 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 0.7% of Wealth Watch Advisors INC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Wealth Watch Advisors INC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 82.1% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.1%

CAT opened at $889.23 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $928.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $805.44. The company has a market capitalization of $409.57 billion, a PE ratio of 44.26, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $405.46 and a 1-year high of $1,073.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $980.57.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.