Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the period. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $609,000. Klingman & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 703 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 57.0% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 22,535 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,175,000 after acquiring an additional 8,178 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 3,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade 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

CAT opened at $355.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $171.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $371.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $372.29. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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 1.59%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI raised Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.13.

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.