Signaturefd LLC Cuts Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Signaturefd LLC decreased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% in the third 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. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $707,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the second quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 3,657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,218,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.1% in the first quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% in the second quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 2,636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $878,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $355.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $389.64. The company had a trading volume of 755,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,633,102. The stock has a market cap of $190.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $403.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $364.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $350.30.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.