Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 507,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,554 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 1.3% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.11% of Caterpillar worth $184,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James raised shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Stock Down 2.8 %

NYSE:CAT opened at $329.65 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $307.05 and a 52 week high of $418.50. 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 50 day moving average of $354.99 and a 200-day moving average of $372.24.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (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%. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.