Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.51

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of 1.51 per share by the industrial products company on Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th.

Caterpillar has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 30 consecutive years. Caterpillar has a payout ratio of 28.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Caterpillar to earn $22.11 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $6.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.3%.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock traded up $47.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $771.46. The company had a trading volume of 2,919,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,806,790. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $718.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $618.80. The company has a market capitalization of $358.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar has a 1 year low of $269.13 and a 1 year high of $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.14 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,222,221.19. The trade was a 6.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.