Level Four Advisory Services LLC Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 9.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,559 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,498 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 43,447.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,730,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,239,000 after buying an additional 3,721,693 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2,723.1% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,414,280 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $466,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364,183 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth $391,788,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,483,937,000 after purchasing an additional 724,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,940,391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,429,416,000 after purchasing an additional 312,878 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:CAT opened at $420.2390 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $196.87 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $441.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $403.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $356.92.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.95% and a return on equity of 48.95%. The firm had revenue of $16.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st were paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 21st. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $383.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $450.87.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. The trade was a 20.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,835,970. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.