Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC

Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $393.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.76 and a 52-week high of $403.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $363.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $350.44. The company has a market capitalization of $192.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its 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. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.43%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.46%.

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.