Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 148,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,318 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $53,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson raised their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $350.97 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $363.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $167.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.90, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.