ORG Partners LLC Lowers Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

ORG Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 50.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,221 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,299 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empirical Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.4% in the third quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Cherrydale Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $226,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $856,000. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 11,659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,560,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 52.8% during the third quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 2,242 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $877,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on CAT. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $393.95 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.76 and a fifty-two week high of $403.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $192.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $358.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $349.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.