Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock Holdings Decreased by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP reduced its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 95.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,760 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 59,736 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,001,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. 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 worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Channel Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 directly owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, 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. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James raised Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Caterpillar from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $366.00.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded up $9.78 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $323.74. 3,764,228 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,631,022. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $318.18 and a 200-day moving average of $357.53. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $154.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.67, 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 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). The business had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued 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 dividend yield of 1.74%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

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.