Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Has $10.61 Million Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. cut its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,068 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $10,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CAT. Citigroup upped their target price on Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $730.50.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of CAT stock opened at $693.89 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $789.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $322.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $693.92 and a 200-day moving average of $586.07.

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

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. This represents a 18.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,524,818. This trade represents a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Profile

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.