Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stake Lowered by Signet Financial Management LLC

Signet Financial Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,370 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 137 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for 1.1% of Signet Financial Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC now owns 877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 1,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.56.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $4.07 on Tuesday, hitting $359.84. 1,146,586 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,417,749. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.91, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $343.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $295.74. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $204.04 and a one year high of $382.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35.

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

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 25.82%.

Caterpillar Company 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.