Clarius Group LLC Sells 104 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Clarius Group LLC decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,753,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.5 %

CAT stock traded up $1.80 during trading on Friday, hitting $398.44. The company had a trading volume of 129,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,640,495. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $354.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $348.77. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.76 and a 52-week high of $401.17.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.55 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value 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. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,665,760 in the last three months. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $347.56.

Caterpillar 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.