Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 118,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,023 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $56,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,688,000 after buying an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 29.0% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 114,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,842,000 after acquiring an additional 25,806 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 11.4% in the first quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 3,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.7% during the first quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 30,955 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,220,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 4.7%

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $561.25 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $559.75 and a 200 day moving average of $466.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $262.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.81, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $627.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.43. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The company had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.17 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.44, for a total value of $5,714,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,692,062.40. This trade represents a 15.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total transaction of $4,666,353.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 41,512 shares in the company, valued at $23,669,312.16. The trade was a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 79,061 shares of company stock worth $41,949,366. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $594.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $513.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $729.00 price target (up from $582.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $612.16.

Caterpillar Profile

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.