Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC trimmed its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,166 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $36,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bravias Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $254,000. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,005 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,321 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $1,304,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 53,498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $19,407,000 after buying an additional 14,749 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $331.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $158.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $365.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $373.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $307.05 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This trade represents a 3.51 % 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush raised shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

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.