Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Lowers Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lessened its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,611 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 740 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,637 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 42,781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,649,000 after acquiring an additional 2,205 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 45,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,328,000 after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $648,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 392,114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $115,936,000 after purchasing an additional 8,934 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,272.78. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total value of $1,018,878.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,665,760. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Raymond James started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.94.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of CAT opened at $392.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $348.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $347.14. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.76 and a 12-month high of $397.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Caterpillar Company 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.