Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Prospera Capital Management LLC

Prospera Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 99.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 75,276 shares during the period. Prospera Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $597.88 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $554.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $462.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $279.80 billion, a PE ratio of 30.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $627.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 31.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CAT. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, December 8th. Argus lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $460.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $506.00 to $581.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $612.16.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total transaction of $4,666,353.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,669,312.16. This trade represents a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total value of $8,231,825.68. Following the sale, the insider owned 80,209 shares in the company, valued at $45,106,333.24. This trade represents a 15.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 79,061 shares of company stock valued at $41,949,366 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.