Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,824 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 6,574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,571,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Transform Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 74.7% in the third quarter. Transform Wealth LLC now owns 13,006 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,087,000 after acquiring an additional 5,560 shares during the period. Leisure Capital Management lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.7% in the third quarter. Leisure Capital Management now owns 1,478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $578,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.4% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 7,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,842,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Safeguard Financial LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth $215,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $393.66 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $361.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $349.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.76 and a 12-month high of $403.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The firm had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.55 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays increased their target price on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.