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

Meridian Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 8.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,425 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 0.7% of Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $18,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — adjusted EPS $5.16 vs. $4.67 consensus and revenue $19.1B (record quarterly sales). Management highlighted strong equipment volumes that drove top‑line growth. PR Newswire: Q4 and FY2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data-center demand is a clear growth driver — power-generation and energy equipment sales to data centers boosted the quarter and are being positioned as durable, long‑lived demand rather than cyclical construction spend. MarketWatch: AI data-center boom
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets — JPMorgan bumped its target to $765 and kept an overweight stance, signaling further upside from current levels. MarketScreener: JPMorgan PT to $765
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America also raised its target to $735 and maintained a buy rating, reinforcing buy-side conviction after the beat. Benzinga: BofA raises PT to $735
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong cash generation and capital return — full-year enterprise operating cash flow was robust ($11.7B), ending cash near $10B and ~$7.9B deployed to buybacks/dividends in 2025, supporting shareholder returns but moderating liquidity commentary. PR Newswire: Cash flow & buybacks
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff headwind flagged — Caterpillar warned of roughly a $2.6B tariff impact in 2026, saying higher tariffs and costs will pressure margins and could offset some benefits from stronger volumes. That guidance likely amplified near‑term selling. Reuters: $2.6B tariff hit warned

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup increased their target price on Caterpillar from $690.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. HSBC upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $405.00 to $660.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $740.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $664.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total transaction of $6,034,465.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,874,576.40. This trade represents a 55.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 54,729 shares of company stock valued at $31,084,308 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.2%

CAT opened at $657.13 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $679.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $604.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $519.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $307.52 billion, a PE ratio of 34.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.14 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

About Caterpillar

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.