Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Shares Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) traded down 0.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $384.14 and last traded at $385.00. 258,465 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 2,619,812 shares. The stock had previously closed at $385.73.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $355.50.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $189.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $367.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $350.86.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The firm had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.55 EPS. The business's revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.46%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company's stock, valued at $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.0% in the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Souders Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% during the second quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 3,657 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,218,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 2,636 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $878,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

About Caterpillar

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.