Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors Buys 213 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 6.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,434 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 0.9% of Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors’ portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Citigroup assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $380.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, April 26th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $329.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $512,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,807,820. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 value of $7,797,194.30. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,380,943.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $512,720.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 20,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,807,820. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded up $5.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $332.97. 580,268 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,652,291. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.76 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The stock has a market cap of $162.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $340.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $328.07.

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

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 22nd will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 22nd. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.48%.

Caterpillar announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 12th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is 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.