Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV Cuts Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV reduced its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for about 1.4% of Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Trinity Legacy Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trinity Legacy Partners LLC now owns 17,999 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,529,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV increased its position in Caterpillar by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 104,760 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,003,000 after buying an additional 8,632 shares in the last quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $688,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,340,000 after acquiring an additional 3,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 97,322 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on CAT. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America lowered their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $348.84 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The business’s 50 day moving average is $370.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.40. The firm has a market cap of $166.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,704 shares of company stock valued at $7,226,584 in the last three months. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.