Sepio Capital LP Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Sepio Capital LP grew its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,827 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,037,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, ACT Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC now owns 877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded down $1.80 during trading on Friday, reaching $348.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,635,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,421,341. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.60 and a twelve month high of $382.01. The firm has a market cap of $170.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $356.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 value of $7,797,194.30. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at $25,380,943.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $337.39 per share, with a total value of $168,695.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CAT. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.35.

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.