Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. by 59.1% during the second quarter, reducing its shares from 121,892 to 49,870, with a total valuation of approximately $19.36 million.
• Caterpillar reported a net revenue of $16.57 billion for the last quarter, exceeding analyst estimates, but missed earnings per share projections by $0.16.
• Wall Street analysts generally have a positive outlook on Caterpillar, with two analysts rating it as "Strong Buy", and an average price target of $466.53, reflecting growing confidence in the stock's performance.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lessened its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 59.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,870 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 72,022 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $19,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $498.48 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $436.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $378.76. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $504.48.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 14.95%.The company had revenue of $16.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.99 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Caterpillar from $480.00 to $513.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Melius upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $495.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $466.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. The trade was a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,819 shares of company stock worth $16,885,492 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Company 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.

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