Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Holdings Reduced by Physicians Financial Services Inc.

Physicians Financial Services Inc. lowered its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 555 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 2.2% of Physicians Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Physicians Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $36,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% during the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 215.4% in the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $358.19.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,092 shares of company stock valued at $4,059,378 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $11.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $397.21. The stock had a trading volume of 747,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,619,499. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $233.82 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $376.06 and a 200-day moving average of $352.50. The firm has a market cap of $192.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The business had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

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.