Csenge Advisory Group Sells 751 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Csenge Advisory Group lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 751 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 128.0% in the 4th quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,986,000 after purchasing an additional 9,262 shares during the last quarter. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 44.5% in the 4th quarter. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 11,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,294,000 after purchasing an additional 3,643 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 702 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 146.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 60,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,188,000 after purchasing an additional 36,134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 19,242 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,980,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $353.31 on Monday. 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 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The company has a market capitalization of $170.58 billion, a PE ratio of 16.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $372.47 and its 200-day moving average is $372.14.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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 shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.13.

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.