Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Increases Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 73.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 282,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 119,427 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises about 2.5% of Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $102,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $331.75 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $365.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $373.10. The stock has a market cap of $158.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wedbush raised shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.