First National Trust Co Lowers Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

First National Trust Co lessened its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,072 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,503,000 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. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on CAT. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.35.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4 %

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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $351.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20, a P/E/G 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.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. 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 presently 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.