Insider Selling: Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Insider Sells 2,425 Shares of Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of CAT stock traded down $3.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $350.87. 422,644 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,340,767. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $370.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $372.54. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a market cap of $169.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI raised Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.