MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH Takes Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 7,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,935,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 49.2% during the first quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CAT. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Hsbc Global Res raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price target on the stock. Argus boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $460.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $513.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $612.16.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total value of $6,034,465.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,874,576.40. This trade represents a 55.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total value of $8,231,825.68. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 80,209 shares in the company, valued at $45,106,333.24. This represents a 15.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 79,061 shares of company stock valued at $41,949,366 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 4.4%

NYSE:CAT opened at $597.88 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $627.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $554.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $461.57. The firm has a market cap of $279.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.69, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.17 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

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.