Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Purchases 93 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.3 %

CAT opened at $342.65 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $163.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $357.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $372.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

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 the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wedbush raised shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.