Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 756,420 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 31,636 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.16% of Caterpillar worth $274,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,184,364,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Caterpillar by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,924,054 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,060,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196,861 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $353,231,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 50,072.7% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 804,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $291,938,000 after acquiring an additional 803,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,483,937,000 after acquiring an additional 724,477 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

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

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $306.33 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $146.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $321.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $360.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lifted 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, Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $361.75.

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.

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