First Trust Advisors LP Has $106.27 Million Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 292,937 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 14,233 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.06% of Caterpillar worth $106,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $359.36.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.2 %

CAT traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $306.33. 2,162,365 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,624,648. The company has a market cap of $146.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.88, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week 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. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $321.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $360.65.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This trade represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.