S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Takes Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 892 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $327,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $293.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Truist Financial started coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $329.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total transaction of $7,797,194.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at $25,380,943.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total transaction of $7,797,194.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 71,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,380,943.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,943.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded up $5.64 on Friday, hitting $333.10. 8,891,479 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,519,845. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.76 and a 52 week high of $382.01. The company has a market cap of $162.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $340.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $328.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.84 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 22nd. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.48%.

Caterpillar announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.