Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Trims Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 128 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Creative Planning increased its stake in Caterpillar by 1.7% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 227,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $89,142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,772 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 20,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,055,000 after buying an additional 2,950 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,996,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldstone Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth $619,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $353.31 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The stock has a market cap of $170.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a PEG ratio of 1.94 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. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $372.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $371.96.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.13.

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.