Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 158,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,640 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $57,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,000. Ted Buchan & Co boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Ted Buchan & Co now owns 2,711 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 19,321 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,009,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,152 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 292,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $106,090,000 after acquiring an additional 16,137 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $287.57 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $137.44 billion, a PE ratio of 13.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $346.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $371.43. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.43 and a 12 month high of $418.50.

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 the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the 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 directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. 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. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

Caterpillar Company 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.