Central Bank & Trust Co. Sells 1,663 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Central Bank & Trust Co. cut its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,549 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,663 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar accounts for about 1.3% of Central Bank & Trust Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Central Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Cove Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $511,000. Zhang Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 9,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,322,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 56,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $20,632,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corundum Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 70.6% in the 4th quarter. Corundum Group Inc. now owns 5,592 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 2,314 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE:CAT traded up $14.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $398.67. The company had a trading volume of 3,135,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,147,758. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $379.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $367.68. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $286.10 and a one year high of $418.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The business's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.52 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $380.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $642,332.28. The trade was a 36.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Company 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.