Brookwood Investment Group LLC Acquires 426 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Brookwood Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,034 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Brookwood Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 36,842.1% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,299,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,833,836,000 after acquiring an additional 7,279,991 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 6.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,204,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,386,626,000 after acquiring an additional 264,054 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,304,448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,089,798,000 after acquiring an additional 15,347 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 9.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,229,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,064,951,000 after acquiring an additional 268,300 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.0% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,141,936 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,036,211,000 after acquiring an additional 150,533 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:CAT opened at $522.13 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $544.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.46. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $464.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $399.92.

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 the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.95% and a return on equity of 48.95%. The business had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 30.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CAT. Melius raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on Caterpillar from $517.00 to $594.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Caterpillar from $447.00 to $502.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $560.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $518.19.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,835,970. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total value of $7,088,152.16. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 482,505 shares in the company, valued at $199,211,839.35. This trade represents a 3.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,985 shares of company stock worth $25,559,300 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar 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.