RFP Financial Group LLC Cuts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

RFP Financial Group LLC decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,857 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,857 shares during the quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV raised its stake in Caterpillar by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 1,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,494,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 89.6% in the fourth quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 1,365 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. raised its position in Caterpillar by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. now owns 5,899 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,140,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Counterweight Ventures LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC now owns 3,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,439,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.13.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $363.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $376.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $371.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 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 paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This trade represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.