Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 40.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $419,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 81.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 298 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. SMART Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 75.9% in the 3rd quarter. SMART Wealth LLC now owns 1,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the period. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $209,000. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $800,000. Finally, Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter worth approximately $225,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $359.77 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $276.94 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a market capitalization of $173.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business has a 50-day moving average of $384.88 and a 200-day moving average of $363.74.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.15%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $642,332.28. This trade represents a 36.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,868 shares of company stock valued at $9,679,489. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $454.00 to $471.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI lowered Caterpillar from an “in-line” rating to an “underperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $384.33.

Caterpillar 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.