Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 7,732 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lowered its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 199,561 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,732 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $72,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 57,099 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $20,713,000 after acquiring an additional 12,388 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 4,328 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,570,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 64,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $23,283,000 after acquiring an additional 1,552 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $4,466,000. Finally, Family Management Corp raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Family Management Corp now owns 9,538 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,374,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Up 2.9%

NYSE CAT traded up $10.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $352.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,131,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,639,657. 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 stock has a market cap of $166.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $316.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $354.65.

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

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors 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 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $396.00 target price (up previously from $389.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $377.83.

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.