Insider Selling: Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Insider Sells $1,009,229.76 in Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,664 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.84, for a total transaction of $1,009,229.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,906,356.84. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Caterpillar Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of CAT stock opened at $408.21 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $376.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $352.50. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $233.82 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.52 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective 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. Citigroup cut their price objective on Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $358.19.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at $672,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth about $379,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $433,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its position in Caterpillar by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 3,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 14.8% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.