AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $248,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 38,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,956,000 after acquiring an additional 4,035 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 28,670 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,400,000 after purchasing an additional 6,145 shares in the last quarter. Moment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $638,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,828,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,081,909 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $393,588,000 after acquiring an additional 83,226 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade 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.

Caterpillar Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $329.65 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $354.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $371.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.