Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Has $8.49 Million Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC reduced its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,694 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 422 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises approximately 1.9% of Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of Caterpillar 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents 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 Price Performance

CAT stock traded down $2.21 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $390.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,086,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,635,719. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $363.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.16. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.76 and a 12-month high of $403.60. The company has a market capitalization of $190.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on CAT shares. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America raised their target price on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target 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 issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $355.50.

Caterpillar Company 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.