Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a report released on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $18.23 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $18.01. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar’s Q4 2025 earnings at $4.31 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $3.87 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $5.77 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.08 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $6.31 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.21 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $22.62 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on CAT. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $513.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $612.16.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $589.31 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $558.57 and its 200 day moving average is $465.74. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $627.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market cap of $275.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 47.16% and a net margin of 14.34%.The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $568.86 per share, for a total transaction of $170,658.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,947 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,520,730.42. The trade was a 3.92% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 79,061 shares of company stock valued at $41,949,366 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,165,899,000. Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after purchasing an additional 12,278 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 132.9% in the 2nd quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 9.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 78,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,037,000 after purchasing an additional 7,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palmer Knight Co purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,884,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

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.