Insider Buying: Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Director Purchases 100 Shares of Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Gerald Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, December 4th, Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $363.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $377.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $371.18. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $307.05 and a 12 month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share 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 analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CAT. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CAT. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in Caterpillar by 334.8% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Caterpillar

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.