Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 1,212 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 28,145 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,212 shares during the quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $13,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.1%

CAT opened at $583.09 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $627.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $272.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.93, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $568.28 and its 200 day moving average is $476.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The industrial products company reported $4.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.17 EPS. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.01%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total transaction of $4,666,353.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,669,312.16. This represents a 16.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total transaction of $8,231,825.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 80,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,106,333.24. This trade represents a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,895 shares of company stock valued at $34,007,516. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $557.00 to $630.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $616.00.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.