Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 23.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $326,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $0.51 on Wednesday, hitting $344.49. The company had a trading volume of 2,260,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,500,247. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company has a market cap of $168.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.55, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.60 and a 52-week high of $382.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $352.87 and a 200 day moving average of $305.22.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 23.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,693,812.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly 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 available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. HSBC boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Friday, April 26th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price 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, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.35.

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.