MWA Asset Management Trims Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

MWA Asset Management decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up about 2.7% of MWA Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. MWA Asset Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 77,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,433,000 after acquiring an additional 8,212 shares during the last quarter. LifePro Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $774,000. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $570,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 10,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,235,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $633,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on CAT. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $363.84 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $377.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $371.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

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.