Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 721 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $12,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $41,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.35.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded up $1.31 on Friday, hitting $336.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,977,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,750,444. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company has a market cap of $164.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.60 and a 52-week high of $382.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $351.89 and a 200 day moving average of $303.64.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid 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 of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

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.