C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Boosts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors lifted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 34,837 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,637,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,639,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 255,388 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,645,000 after acquiring an additional 1,768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 75,905 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,535,000 after acquiring an additional 3,162 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $355.42 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $371.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $372.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This trade represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 33,565 shares in the company, 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. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. DA Davidson upped their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating 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 for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target 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 issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.13.

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.