Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 284,366 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 284,366 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.70% of Caterpillar worth $16,980,629,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Channel Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $383.80.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded down $2.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $339.65. The company had a trading volume of 546,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,438,998. The company has a market capitalization of $162.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $357.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $372.46. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.05 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Profile

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.