Ieq Capital LLC Sells 9,830 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Ieq Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 34.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,830 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Nordea Investment Management AB raised 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 valued at $231,686,000 after buying an additional 10,212 shares in the last quarter. West Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 13,902 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,437,000 after purchasing an additional 4,181 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,084,000. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,414,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded down $9.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $339.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,219,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,416,826. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm's 50-day moving average is $369.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.24. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a market cap of $162.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,704 shares of company stock worth $7,226,584 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $383.80.

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.