Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lowered its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 17.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,611 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 740 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Fairman Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,750,181.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,750,181.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $338.59 per share, for a total transaction of $33,859.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,665,760. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $380.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $392.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $191.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $348.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $347.14. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.76 and a 1-year high of $397.22.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.55 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.91 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.