Disciplined Equity Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Disciplined Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,780 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for about 0.6% of Disciplined Equity Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Disciplined Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,079,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $32,000. Compass Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Caterpillar by 109.1% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CAT. Melius Research raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $495.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $450.00 to $506.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Melius upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $501.47.

Caterpillar Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of CAT stock opened at $528.75 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $247.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.46. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $531.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $446.55 and its 200 day moving average is $386.71. 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 (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 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%.Caterpillar’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.99 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 30.72%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman owned 482,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,211,839.35. This represents a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,985 shares of company stock valued at $25,559,300 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.