Markel Group Inc. Acquires 600 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Markel Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 328,650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar accounts for 1.1% of Markel Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Markel Group Inc. owned 0.07% of Caterpillar worth $127,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. The trade was a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total transaction of $7,088,152.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 482,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,211,839.35. This trade represents a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 55,985 shares of company stock valued at $25,559,300 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $524.86 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $544.99. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $468.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $403.15. The company has a market capitalization of $245.89 billion, a PE ratio of 26.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 14.95%.The firm had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.99 EPS. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $447.00 to $502.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $450.00 to $506.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Melius upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $505.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $518.19.

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.