Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Holdings Lowered by Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 142 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 42.9% during the third quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 130.0% in the 4th quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $379.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $359.04 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.27, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $379.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $371.31.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.45 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, 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 through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 insiders.

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.