Metis Global Partners LLC Acquires 323 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $123,000. ForthRight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.2% during the third quarter. Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. now owns 5,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,281,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 91,532 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penobscot Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $343.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $164.36 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $365.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $372.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,977.21. This trade represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on CAT. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America cut their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

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.