Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV Has $472,000 Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lessened its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 22.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 354 shares during the quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $472,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Compass Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $578.28 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $596.21. The business’s fifty day moving average is $478.42 and its 200 day moving average is $409.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market cap of $270.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.43. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 47.16% and a net margin of 14.34%.The business had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.72 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.17 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $594.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Melius upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $568.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider owned 8,632 shares in the company, 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 is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,985 shares of company stock worth $25,559,300. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.