Cactus (NYSE:WHD) Shares Up 17.2% After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Cactus, Inc. (NYSE:WHD) rose 17.2% during trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $61.12 and last traded at $61.3150. 1,059,312 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 16% from the average session volume of 911,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.32.

The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $449.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $400.82 million. Cactus had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 15.43%. Cactus’s revenue for the quarter was up 64.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 EPS.

Cactus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Cactus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Cactus’s payout ratio is 52.83%.

Cactus News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cactus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and revenue beat: Cactus reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $0.93 per share, well above the $0.64–$0.71 analyst estimates and up from $0.66 a year earlier. Revenue rose 64.3% year over year to $449.5 million, exceeding the approximately $400.8 million consensus estimate. Cactus Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability exceeded expectations: The company posted a 6.17% net margin and 15.43% return on equity, while the earnings performance reinforced expectations for continued growth in fiscal 2026. Analysts currently forecast approximately $2.92 in full-year EPS. Cactus Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased: Cactus raised its quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share from $0.14, a 7.1% increase. The dividend is payable September 11 to shareholders of record August 31, supporting the income-investment case. Cactus Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Recent firms raised price targets, including Citigroup at $67, Barclays at $70, Stifel at $68 and Piper Sandler at $73. The overall consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $63.60.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary: The Q2 earnings call transcript gives investors additional context on the quarter and the company’s outlook, but the reported financial results are the primary catalyst. Cactus Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: CEO insider sale: CEO Scott Bender sold 13,300 shares for approximately $732,000, reducing his direct holdings by 9.4%. Although he retains a substantial stake, insider selling can create a modest sentiment overhang.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Cactus from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Cactus in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Barclays lifted their price target on Cactus from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Cactus from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Cactus from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.60.

Insider Transactions at Cactus

In other Cactus news, Director Alan Semple sold 10,206 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.62, for a total value of $577,863.72. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,667,119.28. The trade was a 25.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Y. Mcgovern sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.57, for a total value of $678,840.00. Following the sale, the director owned 15,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $904,554.30. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 35,506 shares of company stock worth $1,989,135 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cactus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Cactus by 202.3% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,713,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,178,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146,766 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Cactus by 52.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,304,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,432,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141,249 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cactus during the first quarter worth $41,895,000. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cactus during the first quarter worth $36,262,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Cactus in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,648,000. 85.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cactus Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $55.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.38.

About Cactus

Cactus, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and leases pressure control and spoolable pipes in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pressure Control and Spoolable Technologies. The Pressure Control segment designs, manufactures, sells, and rents a range of wellhead and pressure control equipment under the Cactus Wellhead brand name through service centers. Its products are sold and rented primarily for onshore unconventional oil and gas wells for drilling, completion, and production phases of the wells.