Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Holdings Lifted by HB Wealth Management LLC

HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,804 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares during the quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $13,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial & Tax Architects LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 17,923 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,502,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 46,329 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $16,806,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. Verity & Verity LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 45.6% in the fourth quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 1,134 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $211,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded up $5.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $386.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,596,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,595,788. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market cap of $186.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $277.66 and a one year high of $418.50. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $380.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $366.76.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.68 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total transaction of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $642,332.28. This trade represents a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel M. Dickinson sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.00, for a total value of $543,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,968. This represents a 20.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,868 shares of company stock worth $13,480,389 in the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on CAT shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $460.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $380.60.

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.