Private Advisor Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Private Advisor Group LLC decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 95.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 70,208 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,540,922 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $20,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $42,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, 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 currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on CAT. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $321.00 to $338.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.35.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded up $5.40 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $342.15. 1,653,389 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,509,182. The company has a market cap of $167.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $352.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $304.27. 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 1 year low of $205.60 and a 1 year high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

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.