Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Mather Group LLC.

Mather Group LLC. decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 22.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,236 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,052 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Emprise Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $1,803,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after acquiring an additional 773 shares during the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,134,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 54,662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,030,000 after purchasing an additional 6,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 8,953 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,266,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.8 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $325.14 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $382.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $159.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $344.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $325.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.07 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 12th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 22nd will be issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $337.39 per share, with a total value of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,943.82. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total value of $512,720.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 20,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,807,820. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. HSBC lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.35.

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.