In the latest trading session, Caterpillar (CAT) closed at $524.65, marking a -1.23% move from the previous day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.47%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.16%.
Shares of the construction equipment company have appreciated by 12.51% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Industrial Products sector's gain of 1.12%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.16%.
The upcoming earnings release of Caterpillar will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on October 29, 2025. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $4.52, showcasing a 12.57% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $16.75 billion, indicating a 3.98% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $17.83 per share and revenue of $64.88 billion, which would represent changes of -18.58% and +0.1%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Caterpillar. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.45% lower. At present, Caterpillar boasts a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
From a valuation perspective, Caterpillar is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.79. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 16.09, which means Caterpillar is trading at a premium to the group.
It's also important to note that CAT currently trades at a PEG ratio of 3.02. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 4.02 as of yesterday's close.
The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry is part of the Industrial Products sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 202, placing it within the bottom 19% of over 250 industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
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Caterpillar Inc. (CAT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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