National Bank of Canada FI Has $136.05 Million Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 16.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 464,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 66,691 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.09% of Caterpillar worth $136,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waterway Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $352,000. Farmers Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 4,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 367,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $100,370,000 after purchasing an additional 52,576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4 %

CAT stock traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $336.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,977,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,750,444. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.60 and a 52 week high of $382.01. The company has a market capitalization of $164.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.11.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.07 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.