Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 36.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,270 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fiduciary Group LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 38.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 70,915 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $880,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 67.3% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,769 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,005,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $508,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $338.60 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50. The company has a market cap of $161.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $359.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $372.23.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on CAT. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James raised Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.80.

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.