Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Has $28.65 Million Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,742 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $28,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Goldstone Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at $619,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $879,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,942 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,715,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,572 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,744,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Bankshares Inc boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 2,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $782,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of CAT opened at $338.65 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $368.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $373.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $161.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the 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 represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,704 shares of company stock valued at $7,226,584 in the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.