Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Boosts Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,432 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 77,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,433,000 after purchasing an additional 8,212 shares in the last quarter. LifePro Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $774,000. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter worth about $570,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 4.6% during the third quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 10,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,235,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its stake in Caterpillar by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $633,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI upgraded Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.13.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $363.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $377.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $371.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.45 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.56%.

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.