Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Moran Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management cut its Caterpillar stake by 14.9% in the first quarter, selling 8,307 shares and leaving it with 47,323 shares worth about $33.5 million.
• Caterpillar continues to attract strong Wall Street interest, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the consensus rating remaining Moderate Buy with a target of $949.41.
• The company posted better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $5.54 and revenue of $17.41 billion, and also increased its quarterly dividend to $1.63 per share.

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 8,307 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.0% of Moran Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Moran Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $33,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,494,568,000 after purchasing an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 68,427.2% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140,603 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,224,992,000 after buying an additional 3,136,020 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $861,947,000 after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Caterpillar by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,860,457,000 after acquiring an additional 928,974 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,218 from $1,043 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock’s earnings and growth outlook. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Caterpillar as a momentum, long-term, and “trending” stock, suggesting investor interest remains strong and could help keep shares elevated. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators pointed to Caterpillar’s role in powering data centers and other AI-related infrastructure, a theme that has helped explain the stock’s strong run. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar also received fresh praise for strong backlog, earnings growth, and long-term expansion plans, which supports the case for continued upside. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar announced a $5 million investment in Texas workforce training and manufacturing education, a positive long-term initiative but not likely a major near-term stock driver. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street analyst coverage remains broadly optimistic, with multiple articles noting favorable average brokerage recommendations, though these do not always translate into reliable signals. Article Link
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed a first-ever short position in Caterpillar, arguing the stock’s AI-linked rally may have stretched valuation too far; that news is likely the main source of pressure on shares today. Article Link

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer set a $980.00 price objective on Caterpillar and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $949.41.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $965.44 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $918.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $769.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $444.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.06, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $388.09 and a 1 year high of $1,073.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 30.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 46,041 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. Corporate 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.

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