XML Financial LLC Raises Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

XML Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,301 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the quarter. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,560,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Caterpillar by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 118,189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,372,000 after purchasing an additional 3,852 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 52.5% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 17,448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,812,000 after buying an additional 6,008 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,923 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,307,000 after acquiring an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 17,825 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,938,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its stake in Caterpillar by 56.8% in the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 95,649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,861,000 after purchasing an additional 34,663 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.3 %

NYSE:CAT opened at $398.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.48, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.13. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $286.10 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $379.88 and a 200 day moving average of $367.68.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The business had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total value of $1,009,229.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,951 shares in the company, valued at $4,906,356.84. This trade represents a 17.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $642,332.28. This represents a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389 in the last three months. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on CAT. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $471.00 to $455.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Evercore ISI raised Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $380.60.

Caterpillar 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.