LPL Financial LLC Has $330.08 Million Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 909,922 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 30,284 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $330,083,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $335.49 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $358.61 and a 200-day moving average of $372.30. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50.

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, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were 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 $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.