Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by WealthShield Partners LLC

WealthShield Partners LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 33.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AXS Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. AXS Investments LLC now owns 1,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,173 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,706,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 9.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,229,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,064,951,000 after purchasing an additional 268,300 shares during the last quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV boosted its position in Caterpillar by 38.2% during the first quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 1,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renasant Bank grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 10.4% in the first quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $428.04 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.62 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $389.11 and a 200-day moving average of $354.92. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $441.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 14.95%. The firm had revenue of $16.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $500.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Baird R W raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $444.00.

Caterpillar Company 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.