Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stake Boosted by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 73,774 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 939 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for 1.8% of Willis Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $26,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.6% in the third quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,541,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% in the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Bank grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% during the third quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $919,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Channel Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Caterpillar from $471.00 to $455.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $380.13.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:CAT opened at $371.88 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $380.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $371.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $299.93 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 12,657 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.25, for a total value of $5,192,534.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,171,646.75. This represents a 15.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,236 shares of company stock valued at $12,102,371 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.