Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 238 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $12,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was 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 owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:CAT opened at $341.83 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $163.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $358.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $372.36.

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

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.