Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Lazari Capital Management Inc.

Lazari Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,403 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 195 shares during the quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $512,720.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,807,820. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,943.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $4.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $321.47. The stock had a trading volume of 4,195,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,954,731. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.76 and a 1 year high of $382.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $347.82 and its 200-day moving average is $324.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.14.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.07 billion. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 22nd will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $321.00 to $338.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $323.35.

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.