Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 309,113 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 16,877 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Caterpillar worth $113,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,769 shares of company stock worth $11,508,906 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded down $3.50 on Wednesday, hitting $331.07. 3,511,934 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,525,907. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $351.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.43. The firm has a market cap of $165.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.60 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.57 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $323.35.

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.

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