Stifel Financial Corp Sells 12,613 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 653,025 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,613 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.14% of Caterpillar worth $236,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Channel Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $11.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $306.89. 2,873,592 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,641,834. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company's 50 day moving average is $323.33 and its 200 day moving average is $361.84.

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 (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%. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $359.36.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.