Centaurus Financial Inc. Sells 2,249 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Centaurus Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,249 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.0% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,862,443 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,286,582,000 after acquiring an additional 75,973 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,227,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,262,290,000 after buying an additional 8,088 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 5.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,069,840 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,022,488,000 after purchasing an additional 165,358 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 39,534.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,136,667 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,356,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,131,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 10.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,108,817 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $702,431,000 after buying an additional 198,123 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded up $2.17 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $407.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,796,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,600,302. The company has a 50-day moving average of $387.97 and a 200-day moving average of $356.38. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $246.01 and a 12 month 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 firm has a market cap of $196.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.52 EPS. Caterpillar's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st were issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "in-line" rating to an "underperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $321.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $365.33.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 12,657 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $29,171,646.75. This trade represents a 15.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daniel M. Dickinson sold 1,300 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.00, for a total value of $543,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,079,968. The trade was a 20.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,774 shares of company stock valued at $8,233,034. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.