Erste Group Bank Forecasts Caterpillar FY2027 Earnings

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a research report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $27.95 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $27.65. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $817.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $678.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $730.50.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $695.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $708.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $603.12. Caterpillar has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion during 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%.Caterpillar’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.14 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisory Resource Group boosted its position in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $935,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Plancorp LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, KDT Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 15 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, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. The trade was a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar News Roundup

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.