Ifrah Financial Services Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Ifrah Financial Services Inc. lowered its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 899 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 69 shares during the period. Ifrah Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Provence Wealth Management Group raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Provence Wealth Management Group now owns 2,276 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 21,157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,255,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,755,000. Finally, W Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $693,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of CAT stock traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $336.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,977,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,750,444. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.60 and a 52-week high of $382.01. The stock has a market cap of $164.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $351.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.11.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. HSBC lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $293.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.