Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Position Reduced by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 72.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,094 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,865 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $446,000. Arbor Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $691,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 52,812.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 13,228 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 13,203 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc grew its position in Caterpillar by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 1,048 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,316,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.56.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded up $0.27 on Wednesday, hitting $363.52. 3,015,604 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,435,942. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $348.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.59. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $204.04 and a one year high of $382.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.17.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The business’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.86 EPS. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid 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 1.43%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.82%.

Caterpillar 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.