Caterpillar FY2026 EPS Estimate Boosted by Erste Group Bank

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank increased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Caterpillar in a research note issued on Friday, June 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $24.38 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $24.26. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $24.68 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Caterpillar’s FY2027 earnings at $29.97 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $933.27.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $856.74 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $394.61 billion, a PE ratio of 42.65, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Caterpillar has a 1 year low of $355.70 and a 1 year high of $946.83. The company’s 50-day moving average is $844.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $722.90.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The business had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.25 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,572,681,000 after purchasing an additional 442,164 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,388,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,273,039,000 after purchasing an additional 385,204 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,610,182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,072,572,000 after purchasing an additional 94,524 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,493,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,438,408,000 after purchasing an additional 54,069 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Caterpillar by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,860,457,000 after buying an additional 928,974 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total value of $326,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 530 shares in the company, valued at $480,180. This represents a 40.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 30.06%.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s board approved an 8% dividend increase to $1.63 per share, reinforcing management’s confidence in cash flow and its commitment to returning capital to shareholders. Caterpillar Inc. Increases Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Caterpillar as a momentum and growth stock to watch, with Zacks upgrading it to “strong-buy” and noting earnings growth, price strength, and continued interest tied to AI data center infrastructure demand. Earnings Growth & Price Strength Make Caterpillar (CAT) a Stock to Watch
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also pointed to strong Q1 2026 volume growth, with total sales up 22% and demand improving across Construction and Power & Energy, supporting the bull case for continued earnings momentum. CAT Volumes Gain Strength Across Segments in Q126: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical and market commentary said CAT remains above its 50-day moving average and is still near key levels after a powerful multi-month rally, suggesting the stock may be consolidating rather than breaking down on company-specific news. Caterpillar Holds Key Level After Plowing Into Data Center Market
• Negative Sentiment: One note said Caterpillar has surged sharply over the past year and may be stretched on valuation, raising the risk of near-term pullbacks if investors lock in gains. Is It Too Late To Consider Caterpillar (CAT) After Its 158% One-Year Surge?
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest near-term headwind is the broad market move: CAT was one of the Dow’s weak spots during a major selloff, which likely amplified today’s decline despite otherwise favorable company-specific news. Dow’s 663-point drop led by losses for shares of Caterpillar, Honeywell

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.