Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,565 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,474 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $31,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% during the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar
In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total transaction of $368,788.64. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,686 shares in the company, valued at $642,332.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,749 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,912 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.
Caterpillar Stock Performance
CAT traded down $3.46 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $393.08. 1,737,171 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,624,332. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $189.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.10. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $238.88 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $377.62 and a 200 day moving average of $353.01.
Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Caterpillar Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts recently commented on CAT shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $362.40.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Caterpillar
Caterpillar Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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