Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by Ellsworth Advisors LLC

Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 67.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,904 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,424 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 3.4% of Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $10,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 730.8% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,197,792.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306 over the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT traded up $1.78 on Friday, hitting $366.43. 2,028,629 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,158,563. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $325.46 and its 200 day moving average is $287.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.04 and a fifty-two week high of $367.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $183.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.16.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.86 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.25 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CAT. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.89.

Caterpillar 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.