Romano Brothers AND Company Lowers Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Romano Brothers AND Company trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,224 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 722 shares during the quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% in the third quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust increased its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% during the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Bank lifted its position in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the third quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $919,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Channel Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded up $5.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $386.03. 2,596,820 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,595,788. The business has a 50-day moving average of $380.09 and a 200 day moving average of $367.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.90, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $277.66 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The company had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.52 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.68 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 26.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $380.60.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total transaction of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at $642,332.28. The trade was a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total transaction of $1,009,229.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 33,868 shares of company stock worth $13,480,389. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.