von Borstel & Associates Inc. Takes Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

von Borstel & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,090,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Caterpillar in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 107.0% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 89 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $730.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $693.89 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $693.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $583.93. The firm has a market cap of $322.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. This represents a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Company Profile

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.