Zacks Research Forecasts Increased Earnings for Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a research report issued on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $5.28 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $5.17. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar’s Q3 2026 earnings at $5.70 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $21.60 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.29 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.03 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $7.37 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $24.81 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $6.26 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $29.82 EPS.

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

A number of other research firms have also commented on CAT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $785.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Williams Trading set a $825.00 target price on Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price target 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $737.55.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $717.23 on Friday. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $789.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $333.72 billion, a PE ratio of 38.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $713.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $610.90.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total transaction of $1,730,391.58. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,117.23. This represents a 61.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and multi‑year EPS forecasts for CAT (including Q2‑2026, Q3‑2026, FY‑2026, FY‑2027 and FY‑2028), implying stronger forward earnings growth and supporting bullish investor expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research raised its price target to $750 and maintained an Outperform rating; an analyst upgrade earlier this week also sparked intraday buying. Wolfe Research PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays bumped its target to $700 but kept an Equal‑Weight rating — less bullish than Wolfe and suggests limited near‑term upside from that shop. Barclays PT Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar plans to add ~200 jobs at its Victoria, Texas facility — positive for capacity and local execution but modest for consolidated revenue/profit impact. Victoria Jobs Article
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Joe Creed was named chairman following Jim Umpleby’s retirement — a governance change investors will watch but not an immediate earnings driver. Chairman Appointment
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. senators have called for a review of heavy‑equipment imports from Mexico; a finding could trigger tariffs or restrictions that would hurt margins and cross‑border supply chains given CAT’s Mexican manufacturing footprint. That headline is a key near‑term negative catalyst. Mexico Import Review
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary highlights heavy insider selling over recent months (numerous executive share sales), which can feed profit‑taking or caution among some investors. Insider Trading Summary

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.