Jason Kaiser Sells 2,425 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business’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. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company’s fifty day moving average is $370.18 and its 200-day moving average is $372.40. The company has a market capitalization of $166.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in Caterpillar by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 170,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,963,000 after buying an additional 22,457 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Caterpillar by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,048 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,557,000 after buying an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Griffith & Werner Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $310,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,261 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $820,000 after buying an additional 1,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $734,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company 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.