Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Shepherd Financial Partners LLC

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors grew its position in Caterpillar by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 3,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Souders Financial Advisors grew its position in Caterpillar by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 3,657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,218,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $4.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $380.69. 389,297 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,618,373. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $232.88 and a 1 year high of $403.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $371.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $351.32. The stock has a market cap of $184.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The company had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.52 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Three equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $357.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was bought 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was purchased 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 approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was 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 approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

About Caterpillar

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.