Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Insider Jason Kaiser Sells 2,425 Shares

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT traded down $9.45 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $339.70. 2,091,537 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,379,672. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $307.05 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The business's 50-day moving average price is $369.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $372.24. The company has a market capitalization of $162.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.42, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $383.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $2,184,364,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 39,534.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,136,667 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,356,930,000 after buying an additional 2,131,276 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 69.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,924,054 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,060,730,000 after buying an additional 1,196,861 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $353,231,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 50,072.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 804,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $291,938,000 after buying an additional 803,166 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% 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.