Country Trust Bank Sells 9,994 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Country Trust Bank lowered its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,910 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,994 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $45,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% in 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. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 149.6% during the 3rd quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the transaction, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% 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, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT opened at $720.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $335.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.52. The company’s 50 day moving average is $717.23 and its 200 day moving average is $616.99. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $789.81.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Argus increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $737.55.

About Caterpillar

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.