Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Inspire Investing LLC

Inspire Investing LLC lowered its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 9.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,624 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up approximately 1.8% of Inspire Investing LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $17,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,308,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 116,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,591,000 after purchasing an additional 6,212 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth approximately $926,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 3.5% in the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 278,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,688,000 after buying an additional 9,321 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 13,435 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,475,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $527,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,480,250. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,668 shares of company stock worth $2,665,760 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Bank of America raised their target price 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 increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $347.56.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.4 %

CAT opened at $402.02 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $223.76 and a twelve month high of $403.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $357.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $349.37.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. 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 1.40%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.46%.

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.