Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) CAO William E. Schaupp Sells 968 Shares

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $642,332.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.5 %

CAT traded down $1.98 during trading on Monday, reaching $377.65. 1,044,834 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,616,826. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $372.40 and its 200 day moving average is $351.32. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $233.57 and a 12 month high of $403.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.52 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $358.19.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% 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.