Aventura Private Wealth LLC Takes Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $592,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 82.0% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,820,000 after purchasing an additional 12,278 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after purchasing an additional 28,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $8,893,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,096,117.23. This trade represents a 61.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This trade represents a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $677.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $730.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $680.15 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.47 billion, a PE ratio of 36.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.54. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $701.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $593.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.