ABC Arbitrage SA Invests $997,000 in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $997,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Bank lifted its position in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $919,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of CAT traded down $0.74 on Wednesday, hitting $353.26. 2,208,125 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,399,268. The company has a market capitalization of $170.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $370.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $372.54.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,704 shares of company stock valued at $7,226,584. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $383.80.

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.