Sentry LLC Sells 2,633 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Sentry LLC reduced its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,771 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,633 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.6% of Sentry LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,862,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,286,582,000 after acquiring an additional 75,973 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Caterpillar by 5.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,069,840 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,022,488,000 after purchasing an additional 165,358 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 10.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,108,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $702,431,000 after buying an additional 198,123 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,020,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $740,225,000 after buying an additional 119,326 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,381,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $460,162,000 after buying an additional 83,571 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. UBS Group lifted 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. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $355.50.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $388.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $189.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $360.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $349.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.76 and a 1-year high of $403.60.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total value of $1,119,081.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar 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.