CWS Financial Advisors LLC Sells 300 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

CWS Financial Advisors LLC decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 23.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 36,842.1% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,299,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,833,836,000 after buying an additional 7,279,991 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2,723.1% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,414,280 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $466,430,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364,183 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $391,788,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 546.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 843,093 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $327,297,000 after purchasing an additional 712,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Caterpillar by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,229,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,064,951,000 after purchasing an additional 268,300 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $552.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $258.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day moving average of $506.27 and a 200-day moving average of $426.95. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $596.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on CAT. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $560.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $506.00 to $581.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $570.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $600.94.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total value of $4,666,353.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 41,512 shares in the company, valued at $23,669,312.16. This trade represents a 16.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total transaction of $7,088,152.16. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 482,505 shares in the company, valued at $199,211,839.35. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 86,229 shares of company stock valued at $43,323,118. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.