Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s 4th Largest Position

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 68,805 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 2.4% of Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $22,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,308,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at approximately $926,000. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 3.5% in the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 278,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $92,688,000 after purchasing an additional 9,321 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $222,000. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $527,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,515 shares in the company, valued at $6,480,250. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $527,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,480,250. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 7,668 shares of company stock worth $2,665,760 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded down $4.20 on Friday, reaching $329.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,676,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,680,938. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.76 and a 52-week high of $382.01. The company has a market capitalization of $161.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.87, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $339.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $343.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The business’s revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.55 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.87 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 22nd were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $399.00 price target (up previously from $390.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $380.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $336.31.

Caterpillar Company 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.