Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Acquires 1,290 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 71,118 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,290 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises approximately 1.6% of Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $33,934,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 82.0% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after purchasing an additional 12,278 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% in the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,014,000 after buying an additional 28,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at $8,893,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $693.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $789.81. The company has a market cap of $322.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $693.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $585.00.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.Caterpillar’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CAT. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $785.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $730.50.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.