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Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Caterpillar logo
$856.82 +2.22 (+0.26%)
Closing price 08/14/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$858.51 +1.70 (+0.20%)
As of 08/14/2026 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Caterpillar - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
11
Buy
14

Based on 25 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Caterpillar in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 25 analysts, 11 have given a hold rating, 13 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for CAT.

Consensus Price Target

$995.52
16.19% Upside
According to the 25 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Caterpillar, the average price target is $995.52. The highest price target for CAT is $1,225.00, while the lowest price target for CAT is $750.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 16.19% from the current price of $856.82.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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CAT Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
8/15/25 to 8/15/26
1 Month Ago
7/16/25 to 7/16/26
3 Months Ago
5/17/25 to 5/17/26
1 Year Ago
8/15/24 to 8/15/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
13 Buy rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
10 Buy rating(s)
Hold
11 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$995.52$980.57$923.14$440.00
Forecasted Upside16.19% Upside11.88% Upside3.85% Upside8.00% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

CAT Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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CAT Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Caterpillar Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCaterpillarIndustrials CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.60
2.29
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside16.19% Upside332.37% Upside11.05% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CAT News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
8/12/2026
Zacks Research logo
Zacks Research
5 of 5 stars
 UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy
8/6/2026
DA Davidson logo
DA Davidson
2 of 5 stars
Michael Shlisky
Michael Shlisky
4 of 5 stars
Boost TargetNeutral$845.00 ➝ $882.00+1.45%
8/6/2026
Barclays PLC logo
Barclays
3 of 5 stars
Adam Seiden
Adam Seiden
4 of 5 stars
Boost TargetEqual Weight$800.00 ➝ $900.00+3.21%
8/5/2026 Reiterated RatingBuy (B-)
8/5/2026Reiterated RatingMarket Perform$1,002.00+12.83%
8/5/2026Boost TargetNeutral$900.00 ➝ $925.00+4.16%
8/5/2026Set Target$980.00+10.35%
8/5/2026Set Target$970.00+10.14%
8/5/2026Boost TargetSector Perform$877.00 ➝ $897.00+1.93%
8/4/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$1,118.00+27.05%
7/27/2026 DowngradeBuyHold
7/14/2026Boost TargetBuy$1,020.00 ➝ $1,100.00+17.97%
6/23/2026Boost TargetOverweight$1,050.00 ➝ $1,155.00+13.20%
6/17/2026Boost TargetOverweight$1,125.00 ➝ $1,165.00+21.34%
5/14/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$700.00 ➝ $950.00+4.24%
5/11/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform$1,103.00+22.19%
5/5/2026 Boost Target$850.00 ➝ $1,100.00+21.60%
5/5/2026Boost TargetBuy$820.00 ➝ $990.00+13.18%
5/1/2026Set TargetUnderweightEqual Weight$430.00 ➝ $915.00+2.70%
5/1/2026 Boost TargetBuy$930.00 ➝ $989.00+11.11%
5/1/2026 Boost TargetBuy$900.00 ➝ $1,045.00+17.30%
5/1/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$790.00 ➝ $900.00+1.02%
3/31/2026 Boost TargetOutperform$670.00 ➝ $750.00+2.55%
3/10/2026Set Target$825.00+15.10%
2/6/2026 Initiated CoverageOutperform
1/7/2026 Reiterated RatingMarket Perform
7/9/2025 UpgradeHoldBuy$500.00+26.83%
2/3/2025 UpgradeOutperform

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 10:26 PM ET.


Should I Buy Caterpillar Stock? CAT Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Monday, August 10, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Caterpillar pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Caterpillar
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Caterpillar Inc.:

  • The current stock price is around $920, reflecting strong market performance and investor confidence.
  • Caterpillar Inc. reported impressive earnings per share of $8.17 for the latest quarter, significantly exceeding analyst expectations, indicating robust financial health.
  • The company has shown a year-over-year revenue increase of 23.7%, demonstrating strong growth potential in its market segments.
  • Caterpillar Inc. has a high return on equity, suggesting effective management and profitability, which can lead to higher shareholder returns.
  • The recent increase in the quarterly dividend to $1.63 per share signals a commitment to returning value to shareholders, enhancing the attractiveness of the stock.

Caterpillar
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Caterpillar Inc. for these reasons:

  • The company has a relatively high debt-to-equity ratio, which may indicate increased financial risk if market conditions change.
  • Despite strong earnings, the price-to-earnings ratio is elevated, suggesting that the stock may be overvalued compared to its earnings potential.
  • The quick ratio is below 1, indicating potential liquidity issues, which could affect the company's ability to meet short-term obligations.
  • Market volatility, as indicated by a beta of 1.60, suggests that the stock may experience larger price swings, which could be a concern for risk-averse investors.
  • While the dividend payout ratio is reasonable, any future economic downturn could lead to cuts in dividends, impacting income-focused investors.

CAT Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 25 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Caterpillar is $995.52, with a high forecast of $1,225.00 and a low forecast of $750.00.

25 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Caterpillar in the last year. There are currently 11 hold ratings, 13 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CAT shares.

According to analysts, Caterpillar's stock has a predicted upside of 16.19% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Caterpillar's stock had 3 downgrades and 2 upgrades by analysts.

Analysts like Caterpillar more than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating for Caterpillar is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "industrials" companies is Hold. Learn more on how CAT compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:CAT) was last updated on 8/15/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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