Eukles Asset Management Sells 1,175 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Eukles Asset Management trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,175 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 2.2% of Eukles Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,629 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $643,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $198,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $79,000. Finally, GGM Financials LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. This represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.4 %

CAT stock opened at $363.84 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $376.59 and its 200-day moving average is $371.48. The firm has a market cap of $175.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on CAT. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

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.