Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Chico Wealth RIA

Chico Wealth RIA trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 749 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 166 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 0.2% of Chico Wealth RIA’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Chico Wealth RIA’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 953 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth approximately $742,000. Silver Lake Advisory LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $322,000. Granite FO LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, Covington Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $4,775,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $394.60 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $381.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $369.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $297.45 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The firm has a market cap of $190.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.52 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on CAT. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $471.00 to $455.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. 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 report on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $380.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares in the company, valued at $642,332.28. This trade represents a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total transaction of $1,009,229.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,906,356.84. The trade was a 17.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

About Caterpillar

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.