Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Mystic Asset Management Inc.

Mystic Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 10,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.0% of Mystic Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Mystic Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $285,382,000 after acquiring an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Aljian Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 168.7% during the third quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 5,911 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 3,711 shares in the last quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.4% in the third quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 56,791 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,212,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Finally, Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2,277.1% in the third quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 33,874 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,249,000 after buying an additional 32,449 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $342.66 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $163.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $360.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $372.60. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on CAT. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

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.