Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $57.41 Million Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,640 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $57,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $373.20.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was 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 the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded up $4.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $293.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,197,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,625,986. 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 simple moving average is $333.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $367.17. 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 company has a market capitalization of $140.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.29, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

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, 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

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.