Guggenheim Capital LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Guggenheim Capital LLC trimmed its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,488 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,485 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $19,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,184,364,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at $353,231,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 50,072.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 804,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $291,938,000 after acquiring an additional 803,166 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 1,278.6% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 440,641 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $154,367,000 after acquiring an additional 408,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in Caterpillar by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,166,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $782,109,000 after acquiring an additional 318,891 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of CAT stock traded up $3.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $293.82. 2,716,340 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,639,101. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $327.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $363.98. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 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 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $361.64.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the acquisition, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

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.