Victory Capital Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 650,481 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,000 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Caterpillar worth $254,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $433,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 14.1% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 114,337 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,899,000 after purchasing an additional 14,121 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 10.6% during the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 982 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 13.0% during the first quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,249 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rogco LP lifted its position in Caterpillar by 2.8% during the first quarter. Rogco LP now owns 3,083 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $3.46 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $393.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,737,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,624,332. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $238.88 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $189.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $377.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $353.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.52 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Daniel M. Dickinson sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.00, for a total transaction of $543,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,976 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,968. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,749 shares of company stock worth $9,251,912. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $362.40.

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.