Soltis Investment Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,629 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $643,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $198,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. GGM Financials LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $210,000. Finally, 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 acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $363.11 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $376.59 and a 200 day moving average of $371.73. The company has a market cap of $175.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. This trade represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

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.