Anthony D. Fassino Sells 6,279 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. The trade was a 15.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.8 %

CAT opened at $399.24 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $392.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $358.40. 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 twelve month low of $252.42 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The stock has a market cap of $192.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.52 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI downgraded Caterpillar from an “in-line” rating to an “underperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $365.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,132,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 443,315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $174,644,000 after buying an additional 55,448 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 38,551 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,078,000 after acquiring an additional 745 shares during the period. Castellan Group lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 10.1% during the third quarter. Castellan Group now owns 16,637 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,507,000 after acquiring an additional 1,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Destination Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 37.3% in the third quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.