Altrius Capital Management Inc Cuts Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Altrius Capital Management Inc lessened its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,935 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 334 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up about 1.4% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. ACT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC now owns 877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 1,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $316.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,769 shares of company stock worth $11,508,906. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $6.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $349.80. 2,171,359 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,492,829. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $205.60 and a 12 month high of $382.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $174.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $350.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $301.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.

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.