Gerald Johnson Purchases 100 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,085.21. This trade represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Gerald Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, December 4th, Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $365.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $176.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $307.05 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $378.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $371.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.45 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $219,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 1,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,636,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $353,231,000. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2,099.0% in the 4th quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 14,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,321,000 after acquiring an additional 14,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.13.

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.