Trust Investment Advisors Has $2.42 Million Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Trust Investment Advisors reduced its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 5.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 438 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.5% of Trust Investment Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 5,059 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,496,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,839 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Rollins Financial increased its stake in Caterpillar by 49.1% during the 4th quarter. Rollins Financial now owns 6,395 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,496 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $420,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $278,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $373.41 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $343.01 and a 200 day moving average of $344.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $182.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.10. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.76 and a 12 month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $527,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,480,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,665,760 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $380.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $376.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $336.31.

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.