KLCM Advisors Inc. Reduces Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

KLCM Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,047 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 42 shares during the quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $901,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 130,632.5% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,784,017 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,343,859,000 after purchasing an additional 9,776,533 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at $1,175,255,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at $433,134,000. Imprint Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 24,982.9% during the second quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,538,084 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $153,808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531,952 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,494,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,417,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488,813 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of CAT traded down $4.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $359.88. 2,514,069 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,095,585. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.04 and a 1-year high of $382.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $179.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average of $344.54 and a 200 day moving average of $296.35.

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

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $285.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.56.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Profile

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.