Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by WESCAP Management Group Inc.

WESCAP Management Group Inc. increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 68.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the quarter. WESCAP Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $979,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $285,382,000 after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at $393,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 976.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 31,796 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,441,000 after buying an additional 28,841 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 38.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 3,982 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $330.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $352.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $372.33. The company has a market cap of $157.91 billion, a PE ratio of 14.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, December 6th. Two research 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 presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.