Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV Boosts Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price 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. Raymond James began coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Three 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT opened at $386.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $189.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $367.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $350.86. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.76 and a 52-week high of $403.60.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.55 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be given 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 1.46%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was purchased 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. This represents 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 bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were acquired 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 $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. Company 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.