Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,592,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $285,382,000 after acquiring an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 16,773 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,560,000 after acquiring an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $242,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America cut their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James raised Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.5 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $344.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a market cap of $164.84 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $362.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $373.00.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.