Natixis Trims Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Natixis cut its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 90.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,055 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 95,010 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $361.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of 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 2,621,837. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.40 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50. The company's 50 day moving average is $321.41 and its 200 day moving average is $360.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

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.