Blueprint Investment Partners LLC Raises Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Blueprint Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Blueprint Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AXQ Capital LP boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 211.2% in the 4th quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 6,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,358,000 after purchasing an additional 4,412 shares in the last quarter. Intellus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $452,000. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $2,532,000. Plancorp LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $891,000 after buying an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 10,754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,901,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $335.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $358.61 and a 200 day moving average of $372.05. The firm has a market cap of $160.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.