Trek Financial LLC Sells 9,341 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Trek Financial LLC lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 92.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 786 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,341 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 440.0% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% during the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. PFS Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1,750.0% in the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 37 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $623.53 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $537.08 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $775.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $807.33. The stock has a market cap of $286.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $20.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.76 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.87% and a net margin of 15.21%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.95 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on CAT shares. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $925.00 to $750.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $897.00 to $722.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $915.00 to $675.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $898.25.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is expanding engine and turbine production to meet data-center demand, a growth opportunity for its power-generation business. The company also reported a record $78 billion backlog and strong quarterly growth, although margin pressure remains a concern. Article: Caterpillar expands production of engines and turbines to meet data center demand
• Positive Sentiment: Director James Fish bought 1,000 shares for about $620,000, increasing his holdings by roughly 27%. The insider purchase may signal confidence in Caterpillar’s prospects. Article: Caterpillar director share purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital Markets maintained a Buy rating after lowering its price target to $800 from $980, still indicating substantial potential upside from the price cited in the report. Article: Freedom Capital Markets price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar completed its acquisition of long-time dealer John Fabick Tractor Company, adding its Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan Upper Peninsula operations to the company’s dealer network. The deal may strengthen regional customer support, though its near-term financial impact is unclear. Article: Caterpillar acquires Fabick Cat dealership
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson cut its price target to $685 from $882 and kept a Neutral rating, citing valuation concerns despite improving demand. The debate over whether Caterpillar’s premium valuation and margin pressures are justified could weigh on sentiment. Article: Caterpillar target cut and margin concerns

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director C Jr bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $620.39 per share, for a total transaction of $620,390.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 4,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,924,518.46. This trade represents a 26.93% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total transaction of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at $27,954,303.90. This trade represents a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.