Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. Sells 479 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 25.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 479 shares during the quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $418,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $5.40 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $342.15. 1,653,389 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,509,182. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $352.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $167.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.60 and a twelve month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. As a group, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered shares of Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $338.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $323.35.

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.