Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Sells 154 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,553 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 154 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 272.4% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 730.8% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of CAT traded down $1.96 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $354.66. 2,929,591 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,086,614. The company has a market cap of $177.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.04 and a 52 week high of $382.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $346.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $297.99.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.86 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.41 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.56.

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.