Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 168,562 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 10,899 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for 0.9% of Financial Counselors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $49,839,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% in the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 730.8% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on CAT. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $274.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $297.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $372.07. The stock had a trading volume of 2,147,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,443,622. The firm has a market cap of $185.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.04 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $340.66 and a 200-day moving average of $293.61.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The business's revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.86 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.82%.

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.

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