Q4 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Increased by Zacks Research

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a note issued to investors on Monday, September 7th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $6.73 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $6.47. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $27.37 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar’s Q1 2028 earnings at $7.87 EPS.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. The company had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 14.51%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.72 earnings per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on CAT. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $877.00 to $897.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $900.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $995.52.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:CAT opened at $816.41 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $859.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $840.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.13, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $419.50 and a 1-year high of $1,073.46.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Miramontes Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the second quarter. Miramontes Capital LLC now owns 2,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,197,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,693 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,868,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.3% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 485 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.3% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 188,272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $200,490,000 after acquiring an additional 9,512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 85.3% during the second quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 2,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,991,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total transaction of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised earnings estimates across multiple periods. Zacks Research increased its forecasts for Q3 2026, FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028, including FY2027 EPS from $30.14 to $31.43 and FY2028 EPS from $35.97 to $36.64. Zacks maintained a “Strong Buy” rating, signaling improved expectations for Caterpillar’s earnings trajectory. Caterpillar analyst estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: AI and automation could create a new growth avenue. Caterpillar’s collaboration with FieldAI is intended to advance physical AI, autonomy and robotics for construction and other heavy-equipment applications. The partnership supports the company’s strategy to improve job-site safety, efficiency and equipment productivity. Caterpillar FieldAI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Industrial-sector momentum is supporting the Caterpillar story. Coverage points to lean inventories and steady U.S. manufacturing activity as favorable conditions for Caterpillar. Piper Sandler also identified CAT and other industrial companies as potential beneficiaries of a rotation away from highly valued AI leaders and toward companies with tangible earnings and infrastructure exposure. Piper Sandler industrial rotation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: CAT has significantly outperformed many industrial stocks. Articles comparing Caterpillar with Gorman-Rupp and the broader industrial-products sector highlight its strong year-to-date performance, reinforcing investor interest but also raising expectations for continued execution. Caterpillar industrial stock comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and interest-rate risk remain concerns. CAT’s roughly 35-times earnings valuation leaves less room for disappointment after its substantial annual advance. Rising 10-year Treasury yields—particularly a move toward 5%—could pressure expensive equities and increase financing costs for construction and mining customers. Caterpillar valuation analysis

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. The company’s products include excavators, dozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and off-highway trucks, as well as related attachments and work tools. Caterpillar also supplies replacement parts, equipment services, technology solutions, and rental support through its dealer network.

The company serves customers in construction, mining, quarrying, energy, transportation, forestry, agriculture, and government-related industries.