TI Trust Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

TI Trust Inc. lessened its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises 2.1% of TI Trust Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. TI Trust Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in Caterpillar by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 10,492 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,806,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $321,000. Guerra Pan Advisors LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Guerra Pan Advisors LLC now owns 4,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Clarendon Private LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $346,000. Finally, Regency Capital Management Inc. DE boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE now owns 11,656 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,228,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares in the company, valued at $642,332.28. The trade was a 36.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total transaction of $1,009,229.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,906,356.84. The trade was a 17.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389 in the last quarter. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $407.95 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $381.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $369.50. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $293.13 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The company has a market cap of $196.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $460.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $471.00 to $455.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $380.60.

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.