Hardin Capital Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Hardin Capital Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. Hardin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $342.65 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50. The company has a market capitalization of $163.76 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $357.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $372.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.80.

Caterpillar 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.