Second Half Financial Partners LLC Buys New Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Second Half Financial Partners LLC acquired 813 shares of Caterpillar Inc., valued at approximately $316,000, marking a new investment during the second quarter.
• Caterpillar reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.72 for the last quarter, missing the analysts' estimates by $0.16, with a slight decline in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.51 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.2%, set to be paid to investors of record on October 20th.

Second Half Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 813 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Compass Financial Services Inc increased its stake in Caterpillar by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Caterpillar by 109.1% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT opened at $491.67 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $443.23 and a 200 day moving average of $384.17. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $511.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $230.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.01, a PEG ratio of 2.99 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 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 business had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.99 EPS. Caterpillar's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $383.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $478.20.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total transaction of $7,088,152.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 482,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at $199,211,839.35. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,819 shares of company stock worth $16,885,492 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.