Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators Decreases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,821 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. PMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $294,000. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 382.3% during the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 8,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,950,000 after purchasing an additional 6,445 shares in the last quarter. Drum Hill Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $274,000. Dahring Cusmano LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $266,000. Finally, Bank of Stockton lifted its position in Caterpillar by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $712,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,704 shares of company stock worth $7,226,584. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $339.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $162.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $369.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $372.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CAT. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.