ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 35 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. cut its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,983 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 35 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% in the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.6 %

Caterpillar stock traded down $1.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $354.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,929,591 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,086,614. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $346.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $297.78. The company has a market cap of $177.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.86 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CAT shares. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.56.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar 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.