Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd.

Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 80.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 370 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,560 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up about 2.0% of Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 189.6% in the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,046,000 after buying an additional 1,888 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 165,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,558 shares during the last quarter. Morey & Quinn Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $387,000. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Finally, Trust Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 7,221 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,620,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. The trade was 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $342.65 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $357.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $372.46. The company has a market capitalization of $163.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. 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.

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 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.80.

Caterpillar 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.