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

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund 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.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT opened at $331.75 on Tuesday. 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 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $365.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $373.10. The company has a market cap of $158.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

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.