Advantage Trust Co Sells 270 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Advantage Trust Co decreased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 660 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 270 shares during the period. Advantage Trust Co’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at $433,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 114,337 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,899,000 after acquiring an additional 14,121 shares during the last quarter. Choate Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 8,720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,195,000 after buying an additional 2,649 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.6% in the first quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 5,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,144,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.5% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $403,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $362.40.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock traded down $14.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $393.37. 3,345,862 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,292,855. The stock has a market cap of $190.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $376.80 and its 200-day moving average is $352.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $233.82 and a 12 month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.52 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total transaction of $1,018,878.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,347,825.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total transaction of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,749 shares of company stock worth $9,251,912. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.