Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV Boosts Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV increased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Fairman Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $386.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $189.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $367.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.86. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.76 and a fifty-two week high of $403.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28.

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

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James started coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $355.50.

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.