Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Pathway Financial Advisers LLC

Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 43,847.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 124,370 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 124,087 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $48,644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairman Group LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. 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 note on Monday, August 19th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $1.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $385.97. 1,606,883 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,622,578. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.76 and a fifty-two week high of $403.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $368.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $350.95. The firm has a market cap of $188.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 33,442 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total value of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 15,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.