Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by First Business Financial Services Inc.

First Business Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2,099.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 14,000 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up approximately 0.5% of First Business Financial Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. First Business Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 334.8% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $338.74 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $161.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.35, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $307.05 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $363.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $372.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on CAT. Bank of America decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% 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.