Q3 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Lifted by Zacks Research

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Caterpillar in a research report issued on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $6.36 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $6.29. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $24.85 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar’s Q4 2026 earnings at $6.61 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $24.51 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $6.15 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.17 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.46 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $8.22 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $29.01 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $7.57 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $8.77 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $34.31 EPS.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis.

CAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. HSBC upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,043.00 to $1,218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $980.57.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $914.19 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $931.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $790.77. The company has a market cap of $421.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $403.32 and a 12-month high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.06%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total transaction of $4,982,055.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,594 shares in the company, valued at $8,471,789.82. The trade was a 37.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. The trade was a 26.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $935,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $825,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted Caterpillar’s forward earnings estimates across multiple quarters and fiscal years, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm reiterated a Strong-Buy rating on Caterpillar, which can reinforce bullish sentiment toward the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is still expecting Caterpillar to report a double-digit rise in second-quarter profits when the company reports earnings soon.
• Negative Sentiment: CAT has been under pressure recently, with the stock closing lower in the latest session and trading below its recent level, suggesting broader market or valuation concerns may still be weighing on shares.

About Caterpillar

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.