Scott & Selber Inc. Takes Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Scott & Selber Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 6.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,696 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,506,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 2.9% during the first quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,176,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217 shares during the period. Finally, Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at about $236,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of CAT opened at $466.06 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $430.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $373.99. 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 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $485.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.99 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total value of $7,088,152.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 482,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,211,839.35. This trade represents a 3.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total transaction of $902,649.70. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,605,586.40. The trade was a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 38,819 shares of company stock worth $16,885,492. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Melius raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Bank of America increased their price target on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $464.33.

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.