Mather Group LLC. Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 13.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,120 shares during the quarter. 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Rational Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $349.76 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.60 and a 1-year high of $382.01. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $350.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $301.75. The company has a market capitalization of $174.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $316.88.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at $17,774,001.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value 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 approximately $17,774,001.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,769 shares of company stock worth $11,508,906. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.