New Republic Capital LLC Boosts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

New Republic Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,627 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. New Republic Capital LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 6,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $434.07 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $377.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $351.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $434.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.60 earnings per share. As a group, 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 will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 29.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Melius upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $419.33.

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.