Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 9,131 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 27.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 42,512 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,131 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $24,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising targets and reiterating buy/outperform views — several firms lifted CAT targets this week (examples: Oppenheimer and Jefferies), arguing stronger North America trends, digital initiatives and long‑term demand support higher valuations. Price Target Raised to $832 Jefferies Raises Target to $900
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar acquired Monarch’s autonomous/electric tractor technology — a move that expands CAT’s footprint in ag robotics and autonomy, supporting its long‑term digital growth narrative. Investors view the deal as strategic for new product ecosystems and recurring services. Acquires Monarch Technology
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar set a Q1 2026 results release for April 30; the print and management commentary will be the next concrete catalyst for the stock. Q1 Results April 30
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple research pieces argue CAT can continue its rally (some model paths to $1,000) but also flag stretched valuation and cyclicality — a mixed backdrop that supports momentum but keeps downside risk if the cycle cools. Narrative Shifting / Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Reports about Monarch’s prior operational problems, dealer/farmer complaints and the startup’s collapse raise integration and execution risk for the acquisition — a potential headline risk if issues resurface. Monarch Collapse Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: CAT has seen short‑term pullbacks (recent session down ~3% on market moves) when broader indices dip; macro/market risk can quickly offset stock‑specific positives ahead of earnings. Stock Fell Amid Market Uptick

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $772.49 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $733.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $631.96. The company has a market capitalization of $359.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $282.46 and a fifty-two week high of $798.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 32.09%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 46,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,236,946.70. This represents a 14.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the sale, the insider owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $825.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research raised their price target on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 target price on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $751.45.

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.