Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Purchased by Integrity Alliance LLC.

Key Points

• Integrity Alliance LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. by 1,225.1%, acquiring a total of 20,181 shares valued at approximately $6.66 million.
• Caterpillar's recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $4.72, missing the consensus estimate, while quarterly revenue increased to $16.57 billion despite a 0.7% decline year-over-year.
• Analysts are optimistic, with a consensus price target for Caterpillar set at $457.20, with multiple firms issuing "buy" ratings post recent upgrades.

Integrity Alliance LLC. boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 1,225.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,658 shares during the period. Integrity Alliance LLC.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter worth $33,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $417.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $195.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.41. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $441.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $418.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $363.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.99 earnings per share. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Melius upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $500.00 to $495.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $457.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total transaction of $902,649.70. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,653 shares of company stock worth $8,943,642 in the last quarter. 0.33% 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.

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