Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock Holdings Decreased by Cutler Investment Counsel LLC

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC cut its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 63,332 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,127 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up about 2.9% of Cutler Investment Counsel LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $22,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 635,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $231,686,000 after purchasing an additional 10,212 shares during the last quarter. West Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $230,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 43.0% in the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 13,902 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,437,000 after acquiring an additional 4,181 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,084,000. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,414,000 after buying an additional 871 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson raised their target price on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research 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 MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $383.80.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. This represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 18,704 shares of company stock valued at $7,226,584. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT traded down $4.16 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $348.84. The company had a trading volume of 2,171,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,392,472. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $370.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $372.40. The company has a market cap of $166.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

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.