Sterling Financial Planning Inc. Has $249,000 Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. cut its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 841 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 109 shares during the quarter. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 272.4% in the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 730.8% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $357.93. 1,919,696 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,434,640. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.04 and a 1 year high of $382.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $345.24 and its 200 day moving average is $296.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $178.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.17.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.86 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.