Schnieders Capital Management LLC Has $2.96 Million Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Schnieders Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 13.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,009 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 1,488,813 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 2,265.3% during the third quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,117,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $305,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,570 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 14.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,038,207 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,648,431,000 after purchasing an additional 781,111 shares in the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter worth $101,872,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 265.2% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 507,322 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $150,000,000 after purchasing an additional 368,421 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Caterpillar stock traded up $5.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $363.39. 1,809,967 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,428,498. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $348.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $299.59. The firm has a market cap of $181.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.17. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.04 and a 52 week high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.86 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI downgraded Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $321.00 to $338.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $3,000,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares in the company, valued at $20,197,792.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.