Chilton Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 345.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,774 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. WealthShield Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the third quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 3,214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,534,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.8% in the third quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $557,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.5% during the third quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $688,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,525 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,682,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.6%

Caterpillar stock opened at $636.63 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $655.78. The company has a market cap of $297.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $596.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $513.74.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 31.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $506.00 to $581.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $560.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $730.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $557.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $637.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total value of $8,231,825.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 80,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,106,333.24. This trade represents a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total value of $4,666,353.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,669,312.16. This trade represents a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 54,729 shares of company stock worth $31,084,308 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company Profile

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.