Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock Holdings Increased by United Asset Strategies Inc.

United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,440 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CAT. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 49.2% during 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 period. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $568.86 per share, for a total transaction of $170,658.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 7,947 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,520,730.42. The trade was a 3.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 1,200 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.22, for a total value of $686,664.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,323 shares in the company, valued at $757,047.06. The trade was a 47.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 77,846 shares of company stock worth $38,241,493 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $408.00 to $569.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $513.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. HSBC upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $405.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $570.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $596.59.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $573.22 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $501.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $424.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $596.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $268.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.51.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 47.16% and a net margin of 14.34%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.01%.

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.