Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 909,922 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 30,284 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.19% of Caterpillar worth $330,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $285,382,000 after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,736 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,590,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% during the third quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,961 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,549,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 282,018 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $110,303,000 after acquiring an additional 11,487 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of CAT stock opened at $335.49 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $307.05 and a 12 month high of $418.50. The business's 50 day moving average is $358.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $160.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15.

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Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on CAT. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $383.80.

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.

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