New Century Financial Group LLC Acquires 51 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

New Century Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,076 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 17.2% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,037 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,308,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 116,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,591,000 after acquiring an additional 6,212 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth about $926,000. First Affirmative Financial Network acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $204,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 9,321 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT opened at $393.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $192.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.76 and a fifty-two week high of $403.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $363.86 and a 200 day moving average of $350.34.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.55 EPS. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Raymond James started coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $355.50.

Caterpillar 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.