Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Position Reduced by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,994 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 577 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up 1.4% of James Investment Research Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $12,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the 2nd quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 215.4% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $379.63 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $232.88 and a one year high of $403.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $372.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $351.42. The stock has a market cap of $184.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.52 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CAT. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Caterpillar from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $357.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.