PFG Advisors Sells 741 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

PFG Advisors lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,882 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 741 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the first quarter worth $27,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the first quarter worth $29,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $388.05 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $189.78 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $360.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $349.61. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $403.60.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Three 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.