Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC lessened its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 758 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 1.7% of Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 730.8% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of CAT traded up $1.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $366.43. 2,028,629 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,158,563. The company has a market cap of $183.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $328.78 and its 200-day moving average is $288.33. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.04 and a 52 week high of $367.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.86 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $293.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $297.89.

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.