Vista Investment Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vista Investment Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,206 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 159 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 1.4% of Vista Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,428,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE now owns 11,656 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,228,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 33,273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,070,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Jacksonville Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $642,000. Grimes & Company Inc. grew its position in Caterpillar by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 3,354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,535,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4 %

CAT stock opened at $407.95 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $381.07 and a 200 day moving average of $369.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $293.13 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.52 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total value of $1,009,229.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,906,356.84. The trade was a 17.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $471.00 to $455.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $380.60.

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.