Asset Planning Inc Has $478,000 Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Asset Planning Inc boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 13.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc boosted its position in Caterpillar by 49.2% during the first 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 acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.7%

Caterpillar stock opened at $491.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.34. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $443.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $384.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a PE ratio of 25.01, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.46. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $511.50.

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

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 30.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Melius upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on Caterpillar from $480.00 to $513.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $478.20.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total transaction of $7,088,152.16. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 482,505 shares in the company, valued at $199,211,839.35. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $952,840.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,835,970. This represents a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.