Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Holdings Trimmed by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 22.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,974 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,690 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,970,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,790,841,000 after buying an additional 236,315 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,483,937,000 after buying an additional 724,477 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,940,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,429,416,000 after buying an additional 312,878 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 43,447.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,730,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,230,239,000 after buying an additional 3,721,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,181,535 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,154,174,000 after buying an additional 82,579 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,653 shares in the company, valued at $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $9.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $428.85. The stock had a trading volume of 4,027,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,706,497. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $383.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $353.96. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $441.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.60 EPS. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Melius Research raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price target (up previously from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Melius raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley raised Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $419.33.

About Caterpillar

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.