Vista Investment Partners LLC Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vista Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,365 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for 1.5% of Vista Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Caterpillar by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,862,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,286,582,000 after purchasing an additional 75,973 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,069,840 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,022,488,000 after acquiring an additional 165,358 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Caterpillar by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,108,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $702,431,000 after purchasing an additional 198,123 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Caterpillar by 6.3% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,020,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $740,225,000 after purchasing an additional 119,326 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.4% in the second quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,381,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $460,162,000 after buying an additional 83,571 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $394.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market capitalization of $192.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $362.75 and a 200-day moving average of $350.23. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $223.76 and a one year high of $403.60.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The company’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.55 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $355.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.