Caterpillar FY2026 EPS Forecast Increased by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for Caterpillar to $19.43, from a previous estimate of $19.38, with current consensus for FY2023 EPS at $19.86.
• Recent earnings results showed Caterpillar reported an EPS of $4.72, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88, despite exceeding revenue expectations with $16.57 billion in revenue.
• Multiple analysts have raised their target prices for Caterpillar's stock, with Citigroup increasing their price objective to $500 and Robert W. Baird increasing it to $540.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, September 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $19.43 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $19.38. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar's current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar's Q4 2026 earnings at $5.16 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.65 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $21.34 EPS.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.95% and a net margin of 14.95%.The business had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.99 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year.

CAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $495.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Melius upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $460.20.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $466.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,066,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,369,601. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $218.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $425.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $369.54. Caterpillar has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $472.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,835,970. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total transaction of $902,649.70. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. The trade was a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,653 shares of company stock worth $8,943,642. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aire Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Aire Advisors LLC now owns 9,042 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,510,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% in the second quarter. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,954 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,923,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.9% during the second quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,669 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Tsfg LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 9.8% in the second quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 279 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.