Davidson Capital Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Davidson Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 0.9% of Davidson Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Davidson Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in Caterpillar by 24.3% in the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 99.4% in the 3rd quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 1,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 26.4% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 872.0% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 26,788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,477,000 after acquiring an additional 24,032 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at $13,714,323.35. This represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $362.61 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $175.07 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $375.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $371.86. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

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.