1,184 Shares in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Purchased by Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc

Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc acquired a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $460,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc boosted its position in Caterpillar by 49.2% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $502.08 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $440.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $381.76. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $509.48. The firm has a market cap of $235.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.95% and a return on equity of 48.95%. The firm had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total transaction of $902,649.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,835,970. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,819 shares of company stock valued at $16,885,492 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Melius raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $476.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $473.53.

Caterpillar 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.