Edgar Lomax Co. VA Reduces Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Edgar Lomax Co. VA cut its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,093 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,495 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 1.8% of Edgar Lomax Co. VA's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Edgar Lomax Co. VA's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $28,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 635,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $231,686,000 after acquiring an additional 10,212 shares during the last quarter. West Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $230,000. Cadinha & Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $11,084,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,414,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the period. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $800,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded up $7.74 on Wednesday, hitting $298.91. 1,236,703 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,634,562. The firm has a market cap of $142.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $324.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $362.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $359.36.

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.