Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $13,888,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. United Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 949 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Focused Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,668 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,999,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Balentine LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 389.7% in the 3rd quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 3,359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673 shares in the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Security Advisor Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $203,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.7 %

CAT stock opened at $338.74 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $363.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $372.74. The company has a market capitalization of $161.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. 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 12 month low of $307.05 and a 12 month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, 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 currently owned by insiders.

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.