Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Capital Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 37,634 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 173 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $14,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,308,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 116,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $45,591,000 after buying an additional 6,212 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth approximately $926,000. First Affirmative Financial Network bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 3.5% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 278,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $92,688,000 after purchasing an additional 9,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CAT. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Raymond James initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $355.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total transaction of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total value of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $393.84 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $363.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $350.44. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.76 and a 1-year high of $403.60. The firm has a market cap of $192.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The firm had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.46%.

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.