J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Cuts Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,267 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,063 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $24,764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This trade represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:CAT traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $306.33. 2,162,365 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,624,648. The business has a 50-day moving average of $321.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $360.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.40 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $359.36.

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.