Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Sells 9,416 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC reduced its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 22.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,778 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,416 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $11,528,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position 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 worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC increased 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 in the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Channel Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,586,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $361.64.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.3 %

CAT stock opened at $293.82 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $140.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $327.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $363.77.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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