Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Stock Price Down 1.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) were down 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $670.44 and last traded at $680.1490. Approximately 5,073,738 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 73% from the average daily volume of 2,931,650 shares. The stock had previously closed at $688.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $470.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $730.50.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.2%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $700.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $591.34. The stock has a market cap of $316.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 35,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisory Resource Group grew its stake in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $935,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Invst LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Plancorp LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KDT Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.