Berger Financial Group Inc Sells 256 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Berger Financial Group Inc trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 256 shares during the period. Berger Financial Group Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 49.2% in 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 period. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at about $45,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,835,970. This represents a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total value of $7,088,152.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 482,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,211,839.35. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,819 shares of company stock valued at $16,885,492. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on CAT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Melius raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $466.53.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT opened at $498.48 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $233.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $436.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $379.06. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $504.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

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

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.