B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Makes New $55 Million Investment in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 140,614 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $54,997,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% in the third quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust grew its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Washington Trust Bank increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $919,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.6% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $707,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 3,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:CAT traded down $2.20 on Tuesday, reaching $382.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,793,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,605,757. The firm has a market cap of $184.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $241.81 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $382.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $354.71.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.15%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total transaction of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 16.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 12,657 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.25, for a total transaction of $5,192,534.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 71,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,171,646.75. This trade represents a 15.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,749 shares of company stock worth $9,251,912 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $365.33.

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.