Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 20.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,850 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 7,465 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $10,882,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $16,980,629,000 after buying an additional 284,366 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,790,841,000 after purchasing an additional 236,315 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,081,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,294,505,000 after purchasing an additional 129,143 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $2,184,364,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,289,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,193,154,000 after purchasing an additional 61,723 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $359.36.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.8 %

NYSE CAT opened at $306.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $322.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $361.21. The stock has a market cap of $146.67 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.56%.

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.