Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Acquired by Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC

Key Points

• Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. by 15.6%, owning 70,798 shares valued at approximately $27.5 million.
• Insider trading activity saw Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sell 17,166 shares for nearly $7.94 million, reducing his position by 3.56%.
• Caterpillar announced a quarterly dividend of $1.51 per share, with an ex-dividend date of October 20th, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.2%.

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 15.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,798 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,541 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $27,499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc lifted its position in Caterpillar by 49.2% during the first quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was 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 owned 465,339 shares in the company, valued at $215,289,088.35. This trade represents a 3.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $952,840.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 38,819 shares of company stock worth $16,885,492. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $491.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.34. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $511.50. The firm has a market cap of $230.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $443.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $384.17.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $540.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $478.20.

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.

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