Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Trading Down 0.4% – What’s Next?

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) shares dropped 0.4% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $389.92 and last traded at $390.79. Approximately 358,277 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,632,053 shares. The stock had previously closed at $392.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on CAT. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.6 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $363.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $350.16. 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 stock has a market cap of $190.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.55 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Retirement Guys Formula LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 4,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,587,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 7,306 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,857,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Castleview Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. MBE Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Trilogy Capital Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. now owns 732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.