Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 287 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,675 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 287 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $791,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,065 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $906,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 42.5% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 53,518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,824,000 after acquiring an additional 15,950 shares during the period. Drake & Associates LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $280,000. Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $2,551,000. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 8,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,490,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded down $1.57 during trading on Monday, reaching $364.06. 1,197,330 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,421,528. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.04 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.15, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $342.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $295.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $285.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $301.94.

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.