Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Insider Anthony Fassino Sells 8,184 Shares

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) insider Anthony Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total transaction of $4,666,353.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,669,312.16. This represents a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $573.22 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $501.01 and its 200 day moving average is $424.34. The company has a market capitalization of $268.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.51. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $596.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI upgraded Caterpillar from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $476.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $596.59.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 49.2% during the first quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

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.