World Investment Advisors LLC Has $1.57 Million Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

World Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 26.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,012 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 126,564 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $50,308,000 after buying an additional 11,390 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.9% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 13,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,208,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth approximately $854,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.2% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Second Line Capital LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $642,332.28. The trade was a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,868 shares of company stock valued at $9,679,489 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $380.51 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $270.55 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $392.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $360.46. The firm has a market cap of $183.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.52 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America upped their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $374.69.

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.