Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock Position Raised by Mustard Seed Financial LLC

Mustard Seed Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Mustard Seed Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 17.2% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,308,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 116,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $45,591,000 after acquiring an additional 6,212 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth approximately $926,000. First Affirmative Financial Network purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 278,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,688,000 after purchasing an additional 9,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock traded down $4.06 on Tuesday, reaching $389.89. 857,302 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,643,349. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $403.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $358.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $349.46. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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 given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total value 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 $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $355.50.

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.