Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Fractal Investments LLC

Fractal Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 70.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,058 shares during the quarter. Fractal Investments LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $629.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $580.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $496.54. The stock has a market cap of $294.60 billion, a PE ratio of 32.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $630.98. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total transaction of $5,750,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. This represents a 18.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total value of $8,231,825.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 80,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,106,333.24. This represents a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 54,729 shares of company stock worth $31,084,308 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Caterpillar from $513.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $570.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $618.70.

About Caterpillar

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.