Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. Boosts Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 3,657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,218,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 2,636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $388.05 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.76 and a 1 year high of $403.60. The stock has a market cap of $189.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $360.22 and a 200 day moving average of $349.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. Caterpillar’s revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on CAT. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $355.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company 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.