Apollon Wealth Management LLC Buys 7,565 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 53.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 21,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,565 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $5.40 during trading on Monday, hitting $342.15. 1,653,389 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,509,182. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $352.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.27. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.60 and a 12-month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CAT shares. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $323.35.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.