Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Short Interest Update

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,130,000 shares, a decrease of 16.3% from the March 15th total of 9,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,810,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company's shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business's 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. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $359.36.

Caterpillar Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $7.43 during trading on Thursday, reaching $303.20. The company had a trading volume of 207,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,632,986. The business's 50-day moving average is $323.33 and its 200 day moving average is $361.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $144.91 billion, a PE ratio of 13.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Caterpillar Company 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.