LVW Advisors LLC Has $985,000 Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

LVW Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 52.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,687 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 930 shares during the quarter. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 47,708 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,024,000 after purchasing an additional 5,317 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 7,919 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,357,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,399,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $382,168,000 after purchasing an additional 71,344 shares during the period. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 18,245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,981,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup began coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $380.00 price target on the stock. Finally, HSBC raised their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $329.63.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total value of $7,797,194.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at $25,380,943.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $512,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,023 shares in the company, valued at $6,807,820. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total value of $7,797,194.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,380,943.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $333.10 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $162.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $340.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $329.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.76 and a 12-month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.84 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 22nd will be given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Caterpillar declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.