Optimum Investment Advisors Decreases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Optimum Investment Advisors cut its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up approximately 0.7% of Optimum Investment Advisors’ portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Optimum Investment Advisors’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $285,382,000 after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 1.0% during the third quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 6,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,481,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 45,930 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,964,000 after acquiring an additional 824 shares during the period. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nwam LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 4,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $335.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $307.05 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $358.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $372.05. The firm has a market cap of $160.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.