LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Grows Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 56,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,912 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 2.5% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $16,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 4,522 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,313,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 8,647 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,557,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 11,908 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,521,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the period. ACT Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC now owns 877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $169,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $3,000,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on CAT. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $285.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $297.89.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $365.32. 763,811 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,447,832. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $325.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $287.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.04 and a 12-month high of $366.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $182.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.16.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The firm had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.25 EPS for the current fiscal 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.