Almanack Investment Partners LLC. Reduces Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Almanack Investment Partners LLC. decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Get Rating) by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 496 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,082 shares during the period. Almanack Investment Partners LLC.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $81,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.5% during the third quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 3,355 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 11,799 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,936,000 after purchasing an additional 2,850 shares in the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 35,479 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,822,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,201,884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $197,205,000 after buying an additional 174,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after buying an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.02% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $225.67 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $247.78 and a 200 day moving average of $221.93. The company has a market capitalization of $116.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.84, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.11. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $160.60 and a 1-year high of $266.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $3.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.95 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $16.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.84 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.61% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 15.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $249.29 per share, for a total transaction of $99,716.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $924,616.61. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, insider Joseph E. Creed sold 18,294 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.00, for a total value of $4,555,206.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $249.29 per share, with a total value of $99,716.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $924,616.61. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 90,984 shares of company stock worth $22,519,893 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird lowered Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $290.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, February 13th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $174.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.00.

Caterpillar Profile

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Caterpillar, Inc engages in the manufacture of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. It operates through the following segments: Construction Industries, Resource Industries, Energy and Transportation, Financial Products, and All Other.