Knuff & Co LLC Reduces Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Knuff & Co LLC cut its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,069 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 38 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up about 2.3% of Knuff & Co LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % 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.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of CAT stock opened at $339.66 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $362.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $372.93. The company has a market capitalization of $162.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on CAT. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

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.