Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Sells 25,072 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 18.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,089 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 25,072 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up about 1.7% of Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $80,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Caterpillar by 68,427.2% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,224,992,000 after buying an additional 3,136,020 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $861,947,000 after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,860,457,000 after acquiring an additional 928,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 8,359.6% during the 4th quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 513,754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $294,314,000 after acquiring an additional 507,681 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 49,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total transaction of $326,160.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $480,180. This trade represents a 40.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $864.72 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $405.46 and a 1 year high of $1,073.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $398.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $930.07 and its 200 day moving average is $796.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $1,165.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research lowered Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $980.57.

Caterpillar Profile

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.