Erste Group Bank Raises Earnings Estimates for Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for Caterpillar in a report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the industrial products company will earn $27.95 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $27.65. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis.

CAT has been the topic of several other reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $817.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $470.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Williams Trading set a $825.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $730.50.

Caterpillar Stock Down 2.4%

CAT stock opened at $701.96 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $707.68 and a 200-day moving average of $601.23. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $789.81. The company has a market capitalization of $326.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.30, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $443,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $964,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,517,000. Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,335,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 346,392 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $198,438,000 after buying an additional 62,895 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total value of $16,314,812.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,236,946.70. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $27.95 (from $27.65), signaling stronger-than-expected earnings potential that supports longer‑term valuation. Erste Group estimate raise
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group also nudged up its FY2026 EPS estimate to $22.70, a small lift to near-term consensus that can be read as analyst confidence in 2026 results. Erste Group FY2026 estimate
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is being discussed as a supplier for large AI compute campus buildouts (Nscale), which could drive demand for heavy equipment and power solutions over multiple years. This is a structural revenue opportunity if it scales. Assessing Caterpillar’s Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain mixed on the strategic impact of Caterpillar’s power-generation equipment agreement with Atlas Energy — potential for incremental revenue but mixed margin/contract concerns. Analysts mixed on Atlas Energy deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Community and education partnerships (Goodwill Arkansas digital training; Alvernia STEM collaboration) are positive for PR and workforce development but unlikely to move near‑term earnings. Goodwill Arkansas article Alvernia collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Note: a press release about “CAT Strategic Metals” (ticker CAT but a different company) is unrelated to Caterpillar Inc.; ignore for CAT equity decisions. CAT Strategic Metals release
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary and Zacks coverage highlight slipping operating margins in 2025 and rising tariff costs that could pressure margins into 2026 — a clear earnings risk that helps explain downside stock pressure. Zacks margin report
• Negative Sentiment: Caterpillar has escalated litigation — countersuing Bobcat/Doosan over alleged patent infringement and raising industrial‑espionage claims — which adds legal costs, execution risk, and uncertainty until resolved. Reuters on countersuit ENR coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Local selling: Washington state sold off $62M of Caterpillar bonds and advocates praised the move — a small but visible reputational/headline negative and potential signal for some public‑fund reallocations. WA bond sale article

Caterpillar Company 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.