Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Sells 3,702 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,720 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,702 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $67,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Channel Wealth LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:CAT traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $325.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,646,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,805. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a market capitalization of $155.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $316.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $355.82.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.60 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $300.00 to $309.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $396.00 price target (up previously from $389.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $370.67.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.