Financial Counselors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 164,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,748 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises about 1.0% of Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $64,219,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.0 %

CAT stock opened at $403.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $390.02 and a 200-day moving average of $357.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $246.01 and a one year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.67 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total transaction of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $642,332.28. This trade represents a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 8.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,774 shares of company stock valued at $8,233,034. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Barclays raised their price target on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.33.

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.