LS Investment Advisors LLC Sells 219 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

LS Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,350 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 219 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises about 2.2% of LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $14,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 116,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,591,000 after buying an additional 6,212 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $204,000. Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 8,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,233,000 after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 278,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,688,000 after acquiring an additional 9,321 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Daniel M. Dickinson sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.00, for a total transaction of $543,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,968. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,092 shares of company stock valued at $4,059,378. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Bank of America upped their target price on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $358.19.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $408.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $233.82 and a 52 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 company has a market cap of $197.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.52 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Caterpillar Company 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.