For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. This factor can impact your investment portfolio as well as help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
The fear of missing out, or FOMO, also plays a factor in investing, especially with particular tech giants, as well as popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Oshkosh (OSK) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to OSK for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Oshkosh's Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Oshkosh's main business drivers.
WI-based Oshkosh Corporation is engaged in designing, developing and manufacturing custom-built vehicles and equipment. Its top brands offer a variety of specialized vehicles and equipment designed for diverse end markets. Oshkosh has manufacturing operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Mexico, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Effective 2023, Oshkosh has begun operating under three segments, Access Equipment, Defense and Vocational. In June 2025, Oshkosh rebranded its Defense segment as the Transport segment. The unit deals with providing tactical wheeled vehicles and mobility solutions to defense customers. The segment is also expanding into commercial markets—highlighted by the NGDV contract with the U.S. Postal Service.
Access Equipment (contributed 48% in consolidated net sales in fiscal 2024) specializes in designing and manufacturing access and material handling equipment for various construction, industrial, agricultural and maintenance applications. Under its leading brands, JLG and SkyTrak, it provides solutions that safely position workers and materials at height. Its customer base includes equipment rental companies, construction contractors, manufacturers, and home improvement centers. Additionally, the segment encompasses Jerr-Dan towing and recovery vehicles.
The Defense unit (21%) designs, manufactures and supports top-tier specialty vehicles and mobility systems for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and exports tactical wheeled vehicles to approved foreign clients. In February 2021, Oshkosh Defense secured a contract from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to produce the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV), with up to 165,000 vehicles planned over a 10-year period.
The Vocational segment (31%) encompasses businesses such as Pierce, Maxi-Metal, McNeilus, AeroTech, IMT, Frontline Communications, and Oshkosh S-Series. Pierce and Maxi-Metal focus on designing and manufacturing both commercial and custom fire apparatus. The segment also includes aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles under the Oshkosh brand, as well as Frontline Communications-branded simulators, command vehicles, and other specialized communication vehicles. McNeilus specializes in refuse collection vehicles and components.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Oshkosh, ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in August 2015 would be worth $3,404.52, or a gain of 240.45%, as of August 29, 2025, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
In comparison, the S&P 500's gained 226.91% and the price of gold went up 189.82% over the same time frame.
Analysts are forecasting more upside for OSK too.
Oshkosh has expanded its capabilities throughstrategic buyouts, including AUSA, to grow presence in agriculture, JBT's AeroTech for air transport and recurring revenues and Hinowa to advance electrification and its European footprint.The company plans to ramp up NGDV production throughout the year, reaching full capacity by the second half of 2025 and driving strong revenue growth into 2026. However, Oshkosh is currently facing a challenging near-term outlook due to multiple headwinds. Its consolidated backlog plunged in the latest reported quarter, signaling weaker future sales across all segments. While supply chain issues have eased, they've not normalized, leaving OSK vulnerable to shortages and price increases from third-party suppliers.The stock warrants a cautious stance for the time being.
The stock is up 13.14% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 6 higher, for fiscal 2025. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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Oshkosh Corporation (OSK): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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