Candriam S.C.A. Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CATFree Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 38,971 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $27,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advisory Resource Group raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 1.1% during the first quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $825,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% in the first quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC now owns 377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invst LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total transaction of $326,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $480,180. This trade represents a 40.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $14.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $952.42. The stock had a trading volume of 1,957,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,658,716. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $401.70 and a fifty-two week high of $1,073.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $438.68 billion, a PE ratio of 47.41, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $930.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $782.09.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CATGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm’s revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Zacks Research upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $970.81.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on CAT

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Caterpillar Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT)

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