Private Portfolio Partners LLC Sells 31 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Private Portfolio Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 982 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the period. Private Portfolio Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $335.16 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $307.05 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $351.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $372.07. The firm has a market cap of $160.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted 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 return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Citigroup increased their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $383.80.

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.