Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Boosts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 51,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,353 shares during the period. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $17,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter worth $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Melius raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $444.00.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $412.74 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $400.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $356.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.34. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $441.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $16.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.72%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.