Venture Visionary Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Venture Visionary Partners LLC decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,508 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,789 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $13,603,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $32,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total value of $8,231,825.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 80,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,106,333.24. The trade was a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total transaction of $6,034,465.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,874,576.40. This trade represents a 55.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 79,061 shares of company stock worth $41,949,366 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $506.00 to $581.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $560.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $612.16.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $590.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $276.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $627.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $556.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.04.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The company’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.01%.

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.