Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,132 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,915 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $59,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,213,455 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,987,206,000 after acquiring an additional 67,148 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,952,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,501,554,000 after purchasing an additional 205,012 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,862,443 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,286,582,000 after purchasing an additional 75,973 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,627,513 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,418,793,000 after buying an additional 64,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,227,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,262,290,000 after acquiring an additional 8,088 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:CAT traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $397.68. 1,985,911 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,136,117. The company has a fifty day moving average of $379.99 and a 200 day moving average of $368.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $287.52 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The company has a market capitalization of $192.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.13.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.52 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. UBS Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Caterpillar from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and set a $365.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $380.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total value of $1,009,229.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,906,356.84. This represents a 17.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,868 shares of company stock worth $13,480,389 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.29% 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.