Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Atria Investments Inc

Atria Investments Inc trimmed its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 30,741 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,112 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $11,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $338.74 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $363.91 and a 200-day moving average of $372.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $161.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. 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 (NYSE:CAT) last posted 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.56%.

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.