Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on CAT. UBS Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and set a $365.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $380.60.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of CAT stock traded up $5.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $386.03. 2,200,199 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,003,631. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $380.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $366.36. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $277.66 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The company has a market cap of $186.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.09% and a net margin of 16.26%. The company's revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.52 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar will post 21.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,868 shares of company stock worth $13,480,389. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 39,534.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,136,667 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,356,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,131,276 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 3,319.7% in the second quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 275,011 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $91,606,000 after acquiring an additional 266,969 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4,018.6% during the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 255,355 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $99,874,000 after acquiring an additional 249,155 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,952,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,501,554,000 after purchasing an additional 205,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 34.4% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 782,133 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $305,908,000 after purchasing an additional 200,210 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.