Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 157.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,327 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,315 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson raised their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $373.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This trade represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 45,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 10.0 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded up $27.49 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $301.43. 6,454,426 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,615,506. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $336.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $368.44. The firm has a market cap of $144.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Caterpillar's payout ratio 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.