Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 297,376 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,268 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.06% of Caterpillar worth $107,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Caterpillar by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 635,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $231,686,000 after purchasing an additional 10,212 shares during the period. West Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,000. Cadinha & Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,084,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,414,000 after buying an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $800,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded up $3.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $334.13. The stock had a trading volume of 478,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,479,018. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The stock's 50 day moving average is $352.51 and its 200 day moving average is $372.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $307.05 and a twelve month high of $418.50.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar 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.