Busey Bank Sells 2,624 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Busey Bank trimmed its stake in Caterpillar by 2.8%, selling 2,624 shares and leaving it with 91,750 shares worth about $52.56 million (its 17th-largest holding).
• Multiple analysts raised price targets and ratings (e.g., JPMorgan to $860, BofA to $825, Argus to $820), leaving CAT with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $751.45.
• Insiders have been net sellers—including recent sales by the CEO and CAO—with insiders disposing of 125,950 shares (~$88.6M) over the past three months; near-term catalysts include Q1 earnings on April 30 and a $1.51 quarterly dividend payable May 19.

Busey Bank trimmed its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 91,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,624 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 1.4% of Busey Bank's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Busey Bank's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $52,561,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% in 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 during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 149.6% in the 3rd quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 73,363 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,023,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target lift — an outlet reported a new $832 price target for CAT, which likely helped push optimism among investors. Caterpillar NYSE: CAT Price Target Raised to $832.00
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research/narrative upgrade — several analyst and media pieces argue CAT’s mix of digital initiatives, buybacks/dividends and a strong cycle could push the stock much higher over time. This lifts investor expectations for upside. Caterpillar Continues to Crush the Magnificent 7 — Here’s How It Gets to $1,000
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic tech acquisition — Caterpillar acquired Monarch (an electric/autonomous tractor startup), signaling a push into robotics/automation that investors view as a long-term growth/differentiation play. Caterpillar acquires self-driving 'Tesla of agriculture,' stock up 30% this year
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and income appeal — CAT is showing up on lists of strong-performing dividend stocks, which can widen its investor base among income-focused and dividend-growth buyers. These Red Hot AI Infrastructure Stocks Keep Paying Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings catalyst ahead — Caterpillar will report Q1 results on April 30; the release is a near-term event that could validate or reverse current sentiment. Caterpillar Inc. to Announce First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results on April 30
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/ETF flow support — commentary on Dow ETF (DIA) and blue‑chip rotation suggests index/ETF flows are supporting demand for CAT as a large-cap industrial. A Diamond Quality Entry in DIA ETF, or Is It Time to Get Out? (CAT)
• Negative Sentiment: Acquisition execution risk — reporting shows Monarch struggled (dealer/farmer complaints, co‑founder disputes and shutdown) before the sale, raising integration and technology-risk questions for investors. Monarch Tractor’s collapse ends with an acquisition by Caterpillar
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cyclicality concerns — some analysts still flag CAT’s premium valuation and exposure to the construction/equipment cycle as risks that could cap gains if demand cools. Why The Caterpillar (CAT) Narrative Is Shifting As Price Targets Rise And Cycle Risks Stay In Focus

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total value of $742,802.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $629,700.80. This trade represents a 54.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total value of $1,797,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $765.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus increased their price target on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $751.45.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $794.75 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $369.79 billion, a PE ratio of 42.23, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $282.46 and a 12 month high of $801.77. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $735.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $636.39.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The firm's revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

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.

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