Bfsg LLC Buys 42 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Bfsg LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in Caterpillar by 306.9% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 407,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $149,385,000 after buying an additional 307,479 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd increased its position in Caterpillar by 3,319.7% during the 2nd quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 275,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,606,000 after buying an additional 266,969 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $97,042,000. Capital International Investors increased its position in Caterpillar by 99.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 488,660 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $179,060,000 after buying an additional 244,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Caterpillar by 104.6% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 391,428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $128,768,000 after buying an additional 200,134 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $393.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.76 and a twelve month high of $403.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $363.86 and a 200 day moving average of $350.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.55 EPS. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 19th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $355.50.

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.