AdvisorShares Investments LLC Makes New $421,000 Investment in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,280 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $421,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Fairman Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at $962,272.78. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $527,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,480,250. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,842 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $962,272.78. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,668 shares of company stock valued at $2,665,760. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of CAT opened at $335.00 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $340.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $343.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.76 and a 52-week high of $382.01. The company has a market cap of $163.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.12, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.55 EPS. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Raymond James began coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $380.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $336.31.

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.