Lincoln National Corp Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Lincoln National Corp increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,370 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,145,840 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,408,481,000 after purchasing an additional 179,908 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,900,847,000 after acquiring an additional 111,384 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Caterpillar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,830,849 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,864,823,000 after purchasing an additional 47,258 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 14.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,038,207 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,648,431,000 after purchasing an additional 781,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,494,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,417,360,000 after buying an additional 1,488,813 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,943.82. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:CAT traded up $5.40 on Monday, hitting $342.15. The stock had a trading volume of 1,653,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,509,182. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.60 and a 1-year high of $382.01. The stock has a market cap of $167.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.45, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $352.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $304.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced 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 return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted 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. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI downgraded Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $338.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $323.35.

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.