Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Toth Financial Advisory Corp

Toth Financial Advisory Corp reduced its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 138 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Southland Equity Partners LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Davis Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 480 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $337.39 per share, with a total value of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,943.82. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total value of $512,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 20,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,807,820. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $337.39 per share, with a total value of $168,695.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,943.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of CAT opened at $333.10 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $340.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $329.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.76 and a 52 week high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $329.63.

About Caterpillar

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.