Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is Sentry LLC’s 6th Largest Position

Sentry LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,771 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,633 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises 1.6% of Sentry LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Fairman Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on CAT. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America raised their price target on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $388.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $189.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $360.22 and a 200 day moving average of $349.61. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.76 and a 1 year high of $403.60.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.46%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.