Symmetry Partners LLC Reduces Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Symmetry Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 186 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CAT. iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,833,000 after buying an additional 956 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 36.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,270 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $826,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 256,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $93,094,000 after buying an additional 70,915 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $880,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:CAT opened at $338.60 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $359.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $372.23. The company has a market cap of $161.83 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $307.05 and a 12 month high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

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.