Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Newly Purchased by First Nebraska Trust Co

First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,103,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Bell Bank increased its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,865 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,986,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,190,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director C Jr purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $620.39 per share, for a total transaction of $620,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 4,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,924,518.46. This represents a 26.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,954,303.90. The trade was a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.6%

CAT opened at $623.53 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $286.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $775.16 and its 200-day moving average is $807.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $537.08 and a 1-year high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $20.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.76 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 59.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.95 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 25.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CAT. Erste Group Bank lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $950.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $882.00 to $685.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $749.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $898.25.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is expanding engine and turbine production to meet data-center demand, a growth opportunity for its power-generation business. The company also reported a record $78 billion backlog and strong quarterly growth, although margin pressure remains a concern. Article: Caterpillar expands production of engines and turbines to meet data center demand
• Positive Sentiment: Director James Fish bought 1,000 shares for about $620,000, increasing his holdings by roughly 27%. The insider purchase may signal confidence in Caterpillar’s prospects. Article: Caterpillar director share purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital Markets maintained a Buy rating after lowering its price target to $800 from $980, still indicating substantial potential upside from the price cited in the report. Article: Freedom Capital Markets price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar completed its acquisition of long-time dealer John Fabick Tractor Company, adding its Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan Upper Peninsula operations to the company’s dealer network. The deal may strengthen regional customer support, though its near-term financial impact is unclear. Article: Caterpillar acquires Fabick Cat dealership
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson cut its price target to $685 from $882 and kept a Neutral rating, citing valuation concerns despite improving demand. The debate over whether Caterpillar’s premium valuation and margin pressures are justified could weigh on sentiment. Article: Caterpillar target cut and margin concerns

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.