Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by Howland Capital Management LLC

Howland Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 916 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 635,750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $231,686,000 after acquiring an additional 10,212 shares in the last quarter. West Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $230,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 43.0% in the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 13,902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,437,000 after buying an additional 4,181 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $11,084,000. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at $204,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $363.84 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $376.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $371.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 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%. On average, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company 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.