Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Virtus Investment Advisers Inc.

Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 42.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 350 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 260 shares during the quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $127,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,586,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 857 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. The trade was a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE CAT opened at $352.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $166.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $317.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $14.25 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Caterpillar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $309.00 to $395.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.33.

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.