Associated Banc Corp Trims Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Associated Banc Corp lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,882 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,845 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $19,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,213,455 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,987,206,000 after purchasing an additional 67,148 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,081,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,294,505,000 after purchasing an additional 129,143 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,627,513 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,418,793,000 after buying an additional 64,452 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,289,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,193,154,000 after buying an additional 61,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,166,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $782,109,000 after buying an additional 318,891 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

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Caterpillar Stock Up 0.6 %

CAT stock traded up $1.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $338.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,407,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,431,225. The company has a market cap of $161.83 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $307.05 and a 12 month high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm's 50-day moving average is $359.86 and its 200-day moving average is $372.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $383.80.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents 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 currently owned by insiders.

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.