Ransom Advisory Ltd Buys New Shares in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Ransom Advisory Ltd has acquired 1,295 shares of Caterpillar Inc., worth approximately $427,000, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Analysts have recently upgraded Caterpillar's stock ratings, with a strong-buy rating from Melius Research and increased target prices from firms like Barclays, suggesting a positive outlook for the company's future performance.
• Insider trading is notable, with Caterpillar executives selling shares recently, including Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III, who sold 17,168 shares for over $7 million, reflecting a change in their investment positions.

Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,295 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $427,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Melius Research upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $383.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $493.00 to $480.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 29th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $457.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,835,970. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Donald J. Umpleby III sold 17,168 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.87, for a total transaction of $7,088,152.16. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 482,505 shares in the company, valued at $199,211,839.35. This represents a 3.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,653 shares of company stock valued at $8,943,642. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:CAT opened at $417.96 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $441.15. The company has a market cap of $195.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $418.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $363.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $16.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.99 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current 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.

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