Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Sells 2,073 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,073 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 2,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Certuity LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 6,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,190,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 7,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,648,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $716,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Schear Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 6,864 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,490,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at $13,714,323.35. This trade represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. StockNews.com raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.13.

Caterpillar Trading Down 2.8 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $352.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $375.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $371.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $307.05 and a 52 week high of $418.50.

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, 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%. Analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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 given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 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.