Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 9,516 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lowered its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 215,021 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,516 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $78,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth 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 during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. boosted 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 worth $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 857 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded down $0.73 on Wednesday, hitting $350.79. 621,603 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,628,622. 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 company has a market cap of $165.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $318.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $351.78. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $396.00 price objective (up from $389.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $375.33.

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.