Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Boosts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Southland Equity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Davis Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.1% in the first quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $541,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 480 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on CAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the company from $293.00 to $350.00 in a report on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $380.00 target price for the company. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $329.63.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $337.39 per share, with a total value of $168,695.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $337.39 per share, with a total value of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,943.82. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total transaction of $7,797,194.30. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at $25,380,943.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Caterpillar stock traded up $5.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $333.10. 8,891,479 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,519,845. The firm has a market cap of $162.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $340.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $329.04. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.76 and a twelve month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 22nd. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Caterpillar declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 12th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.