Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stake Cut by Factory Mutual Insurance Co.

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. cut its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 14.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 54,650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,350 shares during the period. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $44,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Bell Bank grew its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,865 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,986,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,190,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, Director C Jr purchased 1,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $620.39 per share, with a total value of $620,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 4,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,924,518.46. This trade represents a 26.93% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. This trade represents a 48.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.6%

CAT stock opened at $623.53 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $775.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $807.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.65. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $537.08 and a one year high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $20.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.76 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 59.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.62 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $915.00 to $675.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $950.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Freedom Broker decreased their price target on Caterpillar from $980.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $897.00 to $722.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $898.25.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is expanding engine and turbine production to meet data-center demand, a growth opportunity for its power-generation business. The company also reported a record $78 billion backlog and strong quarterly growth, although margin pressure remains a concern. Article: Caterpillar expands production of engines and turbines to meet data center demand
• Positive Sentiment: Director James Fish bought 1,000 shares for about $620,000, increasing his holdings by roughly 27%. The insider purchase may signal confidence in Caterpillar’s prospects. Article: Caterpillar director share purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital Markets maintained a Buy rating after lowering its price target to $800 from $980, still indicating substantial potential upside from the price cited in the report. Article: Freedom Capital Markets price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar completed its acquisition of long-time dealer John Fabick Tractor Company, adding its Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan Upper Peninsula operations to the company’s dealer network. The deal may strengthen regional customer support, though its near-term financial impact is unclear. Article: Caterpillar acquires Fabick Cat dealership
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson cut its price target to $685 from $882 and kept a Neutral rating, citing valuation concerns despite improving demand. The debate over whether Caterpillar’s premium valuation and margin pressures are justified could weigh on sentiment. Article: Caterpillar target cut and margin concerns

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.