Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Position Increased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 125,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 4,247 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $45,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,762,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 50,072.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 804,770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $291,938,000 after purchasing an additional 803,166 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 57,375 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,813,000 after purchasing an additional 5,798 shares during the period. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co now owns 2,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the period. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 64,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $23,566,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.1 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $342.55 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $163.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $366.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $372.88.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its 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 net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on CAT. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,704 shares of company stock worth $7,226,584 in the last quarter. 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.