First National Trust Co Sells 4,072 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

First National Trust Co decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,072 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4 %

CAT stock traded up $1.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $336.75. 1,977,087 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,750,444. The company has a market capitalization of $164.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $303.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $205.60 and a 12 month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 23.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $321.00 to $338.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.35.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other 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 transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.