Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Acquired by Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC

Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 9.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 23,792 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises about 1.5% of Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,236,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CAT. GSB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% in the second quarter. GSB Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $832,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 3,575 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,388,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,216 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McAdam LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $727,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CAT. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $495.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Melius Research upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $473.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.65, for a total transaction of $7,941,849.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 465,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at $215,289,088.35. The trade was a 3.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,819 shares of company stock valued at $16,885,492 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT opened at $502.08 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $440.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $381.76. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $509.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 14.95%.The firm had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.99 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is presently 30.72%.

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.

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