Valley National Advisers Inc. Purchases 5,114 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 347.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,585 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,114 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Fairman Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.3 %

Caterpillar stock traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $385.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,606,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,622,578. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $368.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $350.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $403.60. The company has a market capitalization of $188.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.55 earnings per share. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley cut Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Three equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $355.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% 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.