LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Raises Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,912 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up 2.5% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $16,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 730.8% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. CGC Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded up $0.67 on Thursday, reaching $365.32. 763,811 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,447,832. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $325.46 and its 200-day moving average is $287.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $204.04 and a one year high of $366.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $182.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.16.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.86 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $345.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $297.89.

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.