Community Bank of Raymore Boosts Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Community Bank of Raymore grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 290 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 6.9% of Community Bank of Raymore’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Community Bank of Raymore’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Raymond James assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $355.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased 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 owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $393.66 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $361.58 and a 200 day moving average of $349.92. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $403.60. The firm has a market cap of $192.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. 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 (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 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 company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.46%.

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.