Elser Financial Planning Inc Sells 35 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Elser Financial Planning Inc decreased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,291 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 35 shares during the period. Elser Financial Planning Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $32,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $466.06 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $430.98 and a 200-day moving average of $373.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.34. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $485.34.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 14.95%.The business had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.65, for a total value of $7,941,849.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 465,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,289,088.35. The trade was a 3.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,819 shares of company stock worth $16,885,492 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $493.00 to $480.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 29th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $476.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $464.33.

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.