Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Western Wealth Management LLC

Western Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 184 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 730.8% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.56.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2 %

CAT traded up $0.77 on Friday, reaching $357.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 607,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,407,422. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $345.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $178.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.17. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.04 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.82%.

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.