Caterpillar FY2026 EPS Estimate Raised by Erste Group Bank

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $22.70 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $22.65. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on CAT. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $677.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, February 2nd. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $730.50.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $695.49 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $323.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.54. Caterpillar has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $789.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $708.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $603.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.14 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Advisory Resource Group raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Invst LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Plancorp LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KDT Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the sale, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group nudged up its profit forecasts — the bank raised FY2027 EPS to $27.95 (from $27.65) and slightly lifted FY2026 to $22.70, both well above the street consensus of ~$19.86. This supports a stronger earnings outlook for CAT. Erste Group raises EPS estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal and growth coverage — coverage of Caterpillar supplying power‑generation equipment to Atlas Energy and its role in powering Nscale’s AI compute campus highlights revenue diversification and exposure to AI/energy demand, but analysts are mixed on near-term financial impact and timing. Analysts mixed on Atlas Energy agreement Caterpillar and Nscale AI campus
• Neutral Sentiment: Community & STEM initiatives may support brand and hiring but have limited direct near‑term financial impact (Alvernia collaboration; Goodwill Arkansas funding). Alvernia partnership Goodwill Arkansas funding
• Negative Sentiment: Heightened legal risk — Caterpillar has countersued Bobcat (Doosan Bobcat) over alleged patent infringement and has accused the rival of industrial espionage; litigation can lead to legal costs, injunction risk or distraction. Reuters: Caterpillar countersues Bobcat ENR: alleges industrial espionage
• Negative Sentiment: Divestment headline — Washington state sold off ~$62M of Caterpillar bonds amid activist pressure; public-sector divestment can dent sentiment and signal ESG-related investor risk. WA sells Caterpillar bonds
• Negative Sentiment: Market/sector selloff — Caterpillar was mentioned among stocks that weighed on the Dow amid a near‑350 point decline, so broad risk‑off flows likely pressured the share price alongside company‑specific headlines. Market drop including CAT

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.