Geneva Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Geneva Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 40.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,150 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 8,126 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 2.0% of Geneva Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Geneva Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 130,632.5% in the 4th 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 last quarter. 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 in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $433,134,000. Imprint Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 24,982.9% in the second quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,538,084 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $153,808,000 after buying an additional 1,531,952 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,494,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,417,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488,813 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of CAT stock traded down $3.25 on Friday, hitting $354.68. 2,928,312 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,441,138. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $204.04 and a one year high of $382.01. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $346.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.17.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.86 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.4 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related 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 directly owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.56.

Caterpillar Company 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.