S&CO Inc. Sells 222 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

S&CO Inc. cut its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 115,522 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 222 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up approximately 2.8% of S&CO Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. S&CO Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $41,906,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $260,000. Davis R M Inc. lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,838 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,922 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,060,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $264,000. Finally, Grant Street Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Grant Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush raised shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.5 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $344.90 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $307.05 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. 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 50 day moving average price of $362.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $373.00. The company has a market capitalization 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.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current 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.