Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock Bought by Prairie Advisory LLC

Prairie Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 103.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,264 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Prairie Advisory LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 440.0% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% in the 2nd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $47,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $5.03 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $725.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,199,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,817,932. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $812.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $856.69. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $510.21 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The company has a market capitalization of $333.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.37.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $1.95. The firm had revenue of $20.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.51% and a return on equity of 55.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.72 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Caterpillar from $1,118.00 to $1,009.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC set a $980.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, President Capital assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $999.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $967.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. The trade was a 48.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.