Mather Group LLC. Raises Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,774,001.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,769 shares of company stock valued at $11,508,906. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.9 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $349.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $174.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.17. 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 fifty-two week low of $205.60 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $350.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $301.75.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded 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 research report on Friday. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $316.88.

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.