Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Trust Co

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Trust Co increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. by 20.7% in the second quarter, owning 6,026 shares valued at approximately $2.34 million.
• Analysts are optimistic about Caterpillar's stock, with Evercore ISI upgrading it to an "outperform" rating and JPMorgan Chase raising its price target from $475 to $520.
• Caterpillar reported $4.72 EPS for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations; however, its revenue of $16.57 billion surpassed forecasts.

Charles Schwab Trust Co grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Trust Co's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 94 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $45,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Caterpillar from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $476.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $464.33.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $466.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $218.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $430.98 and a 200 day moving average of $373.71. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $485.34.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.95% and a return on equity of 48.95%. The company had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.99 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.65, for a total value of $7,941,849.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 465,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at $215,289,088.35. This represents a 3.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,819 shares of company stock valued at $16,885,492. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.

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