Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock Holdings Lowered by Cladis Investment Advisory LLC

Cladis Investment Advisory LLC lessened its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 1.3% of Cladis Investment Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $285,382,000 after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares during the period. Bangor Savings Bank raised its position in Caterpillar by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 1,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,627 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,767,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Peoples Bank KS increased its stake in Caterpillar by 79.6% in the fourth quarter. Peoples Bank KS now owns 2,708 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 93.9% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,238,000 after acquiring an additional 1,653 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of CAT opened at $320.07 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $316.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $356.28. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The stock has a market cap of $152.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.60 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 27.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Baird R W raised Caterpillar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer raised shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $395.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $370.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.