Moran Wealth Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management trimmed its stake in Caterpillar by 6.3% in Q4, selling 3,727 shares to hold 55,630 shares valued at $31.87 million, which made CAT about 1.0% of its portfolio and its 13th largest position.
• Wall Street sentiment has turned bullish with multiple firms raising price targets (Argus to $820, BofA to $825, HSBC to $850), a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $751.45, supporting optimism around CAT’s outlook.
• Caterpillar shares trade near $795 with a $369.8B market cap, an upcoming Q1 earnings report on April 30, a quarterly dividend of $1.51 (ex-dividend April 20, payable May 19), and notable insider selling of about 125,950 shares (~$88.6M) in the last 90 days.

Moran Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,630 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,727 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.0% of Moran Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Moran Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $31,869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 2,508 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in Caterpillar by 2.5% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% in the third 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 and hedge funds.

Key Headlines 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. HSBC lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $751.45.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $794.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $369.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.23, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $735.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $634.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $282.46 and a 12 month high of $801.77.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.14 EPS. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 43,350 shares in the company, valued at $29,524,818. This represents a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the sale, the insider owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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