Souders Financial Advisors Has $1.33 Million Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Souders Financial Advisors lessened its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 238 shares during the quarter. Souders Financial Advisors’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Carrera Capital Advisors lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 1,238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 834 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $303,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $364,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 73.4% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 282,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,387,000 after buying an additional 119,427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.80.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $326.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $156.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $364.49 and its 200-day moving average is $372.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company 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.