Candriam S.C.A. Sells 4,471 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 12.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,639 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,471 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $15,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $742.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $347.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $620.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $532.69. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $743.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.Caterpillar’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $702.00 to $756.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $678.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $690.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,524,818. This trade represents a 47.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 130,545 shares of company stock worth $88,294,733 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.