Milestone Asset Management LLC Has $1.80 Million Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Milestone Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 41.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,456 shares during the quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. First Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Bank raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Channel Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of CAT traded down $16.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $377.21. 2,790,824 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,233,377. The company has a market cap of $182.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $299.93 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $381.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $370.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. On average, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Daniel M. Dickinson sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.00, for a total value of $543,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,079,968. This trade represents a 20.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was 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 directly owns 2,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $384.60.

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.