First Command Advisory Services Inc. Sells 118 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

First Command Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 118 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,714,323.35. This represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,704 shares of company stock valued at $7,226,584. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $342.55 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $163.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $366.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $372.88.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CAT. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

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.