Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Freestone Capital Holdings LLC

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lowered its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 193 shares during the quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $10,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ethos Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 1,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,636,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $353,231,000. First Business Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2,099.0% in the 4th quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 14,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,321,000 after purchasing an additional 14,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 10,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,755,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $338.74 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $161.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $363.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $372.74. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % 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 corporate 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.