Zacks Research Forecasts Increased Earnings for Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a note issued to investors on Thursday, April 3rd. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $4.69 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $4.62. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar’s Q2 2026 earnings at $5.25 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $5.48 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $5.74 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $21.16 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Trading Down 5.9 %

Shares of CAT stock opened at $287.57 on Monday. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $281.50 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $346.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $371.43. The firm has a market cap of $137.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 1.8% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 13,298 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,386,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 5,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,674,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Baring Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 10.3% in the first quarter. Baring Financial LLC now owns 2,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $876,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 12.5% during the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.