Successful Portfolios LLC Makes New Investment in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Successful Portfolios LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 703 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. MJP Associates Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 4,903 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,450,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Kaizen Financial Strategies boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Kaizen Financial Strategies now owns 2,850 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $843,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 3,284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $971,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of CAT stock traded up $1.78 during trading on Thursday, reaching $366.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,026,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,469,147. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $204.04 and a one year high of $367.22. The company has a market cap of $183.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $325.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $287.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.86 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on CAT. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $274.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.89.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% 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.