MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 130,962 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,640 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $47,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,980,629,000 after acquiring an additional 284,366 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,790,841,000 after purchasing an additional 236,315 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,081,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,294,505,000 after purchasing an additional 129,143 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $2,184,364,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,289,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,193,154,000 after buying an additional 61,723 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded up $11.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $306.89. 2,873,592 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,643,389. The company has a market capitalization of $146.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. 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's 50 day moving average is $323.33 and its 200-day moving average is $361.84. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CAT. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $359.36.

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.