Voya Investment Management LLC Lowers Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Voya Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 60.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 297,714 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 463,976 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of Caterpillar worth $107,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.8% during the fourth 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 grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after buying 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 valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Channel Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of CAT traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $306.96. The stock had a trading volume of 2,189,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,620,106. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $321.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $360.15. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This trade represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $361.75.

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.