Vectors Research Management LLC Sells 331 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vectors Research Management LLC lessened its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,638 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 331 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $293.82 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $327.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $363.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50. The firm has a market cap of $140.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced 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, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $361.64.

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.