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Caterpillar (CAT)
NYSE:CAT
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Caterpillar (CAT) AI Stock Analysis

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CAT

Caterpillar

(NYSE:CAT)

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Outperform 76 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:76Outperform
Price Target:
$893.00
▲(12.38% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:04/14/26
CAT scores well primarily on strong financial performance (profits and cash generation) and clear technical strength (price above key moving averages, positive MACD). The score is held back by a demanding valuation (P/E ~30, low yield) and earnings-call risks around rising tariffs and margin pressure despite strong backlog and growth guidance.
Positive Factors
Cash Generation
Consistent high free cash flow (MP&E FCF $9.5B in 2025) provides durable funding for capex, debt service, dividends and buybacks. That cash flexibility supports strategic investments (autonomy, capacity) and cushions against cyclical downturns, improving long‑term resilience.
Negative Factors
Tariff Headwinds
Rising tariffs (incremental ~$2.6B in 2026) represent a structural cost shock that erodes margins and requires sustained mitigation (pricing, sourcing, supply‑chain changes). Given the magnitude, tariffs materially reduce earnings power and elevate execution risk over coming quarters.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Cash Generation
Consistent high free cash flow (MP&E FCF $9.5B in 2025) provides durable funding for capex, debt service, dividends and buybacks. That cash flexibility supports strategic investments (autonomy, capacity) and cushions against cyclical downturns, improving long‑term resilience.
Read all positive factors

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Caterpillar Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, backhoe loaders, compactors, cold planers,...
How the Company Makes Money
Caterpillar makes money primarily by selling equipment, engines/power systems, and related parts and services, with most sales executed through its independent global dealer network. 1) Machinery revenue (equipment sales): A major revenue stream ...

Caterpillar Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue by Type
Revenue by Type
Categorizes income based on product or service type, highlighting which offerings drive the most sales and where diversification or concentration risks may lie.
Chart InsightsCaterpillar's Machinery, Energy, and Transportation revenue shows a recent uptick, aligning with the earnings call highlighting strong demand in Energy & Transportation. Despite a slight dip in early 2025, the segment rebounded, supported by record sales and backlog growth. Financial Products revenue has steadily increased, reflecting resilience. However, challenges like tariffs and declining Asia Pacific sales could pressure future margins. The company's strategic focus on mitigating tariff impacts and capitalizing on power generation demand positions it well for continued growth.
Data provided by:The Fly

Caterpillar Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jan 29, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Apr 30, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call highlighted multiple strong operational and financial wins — record annual and quarterly revenue, a record $51 billion backlog, robust free cash flow ($9.5B), meaningful power & energy momentum, growing services and autonomy deployments, and sizable returns to shareholders. Offsetting these positives are sizable and growing tariff headwinds (incremental tariffs expected to rise to ~$2.6B in 2026), notable margin compression year‑over‑year (driven largely by tariffs and higher costs), segment margin declines in Construction and Resource Industries, and capacity/timing constraints that temper immediate upside. On balance, the positive operating and cash performance along with strong order/backlog momentum outweigh the near‑term margin and tariff challenges, but execution on capacity expansions and tariff mitigation will be key to sustaining the outlook.
Positive Updates
Record Annual and Quarterly Revenue
Full-year sales and revenues of $67.6 billion (highest in company history), up 4% year‑over‑year; fourth‑quarter sales and revenues of $19.1 billion, up 18% year‑over‑year and a single‑quarter record.
Negative Updates
Significant Tariff Headwinds
New tariffs in 2025 had an absolute value of ~$1.8 billion with net incremental tariff impact of ~$1.7 billion after mitigation; company expects incremental tariff costs of ~ $2.6 billion in 2026 (about $800 million higher than 2025) and roughly $800 million of incremental tariffs in Q1 2026 — a meaningful drag on profitability.
Read all updates
Q4-2025 Updates
Negative
Record Annual and Quarterly Revenue
Full-year sales and revenues of $67.6 billion (highest in company history), up 4% year‑over‑year; fourth‑quarter sales and revenues of $19.1 billion, up 18% year‑over‑year and a single‑quarter record.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Caterpillar guided 2026 to enterprise sales growth around the top end of its 5–7% long‑term CAGR target, with sales up across all three primary segments (Power & Energy expected to grow fastest), roughly 62% of the record $51 billion backlog slated to deliver in the next 12 months, and about 2% of total sales from favorable price realization. Full‑year adjusted operating profit margin is expected to exceed 2025’s ~17% but remain near the bottom of the target range (excluding incremental tariffs the margin would be in the top half); incremental tariff costs are forecast at about $2.6 billion for 2026 (versus a $1.7 billion net incremental tariff in 2025) with roughly $800 million of tariffs expected in Q1 (Q1 tariff impact split ~50% Construction, 20% Resource, 30% Power & Energy). Management expects ~ $3.5 billion of capital expenditures, MP&E free cash flow slightly below 2025’s $9.5 billion, a ~23% effective tax rate (ex‑discretes), $300–350 million of restructuring costs, and a normal Q1 dealer inventory build in excess of $1 billion supporting near‑term sales.

Caterpillar Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Fundamentals are strong: healthy margins and robust free cash flow (TTM FCF ~$10.3B, +8.3%). However, profitability has normalized versus 2024 peaks, and historically elevated leverage is a risk (with the latest TTM debt figure noted as inconsistent), tempering the score.
Income Statement
83
Very Positive
Balance Sheet
72
Positive
Cash Flow
78
Positive
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue67.59B64.81B67.06B59.43B50.97B
Gross Profit21.86B23.32B23.26B17.51B15.00B
EBITDA14.86B16.04B15.71B11.41B11.04B
Net Income8.87B10.79B10.34B6.71B6.49B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets98.58B87.76B87.48B81.94B82.79B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments9.98B6.89B6.98B7.00B9.25B
Total Debt43.33B38.41B37.88B36.99B37.79B
Total Liabilities77.27B68.27B67.97B66.05B66.28B
Stockholders Equity21.32B19.49B19.49B15.87B16.48B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow10.27B8.82B9.79B5.17B4.73B
Operating Cash Flow11.74B12.04B12.88B7.77B7.20B
Investing Cash Flow-4.71B-2.45B-5.87B-2.54B-3.08B
Financing Cash Flow-3.90B-9.56B-6.93B-7.28B-4.19B

Caterpillar Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price794.65
Price Trends
50DMA
733.61
Positive
100DMA
671.06
Positive
200DMA
568.21
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
21.27
Negative
RSI
64.55
Neutral
STOCH
78.26
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CAT, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 794.65 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 737.94, above the 50-day MA of 733.61, and above the 200-day MA of 568.21, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 21.27 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 64.55 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 78.26 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for CAT.

Caterpillar Risk Analysis

Caterpillar disclosed 14 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Caterpillar reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 3 New Risks
1.
Financial risks Q4, 2025
2.
Operational risks Q4, 2025
3.
Macroeconomic risks Q4, 2025

Caterpillar Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (63)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
76
Outperform
$386.56B30.1245.10%0.98%4.29%-14.76%
74
Outperform
$66.84B24.2512.57%3.83%-15.50%-42.99%
73
Outperform
$151.97B54.8318.93%1.34%-2.66%-21.47%
66
Neutral
$9.42B12.4614.57%1.56%-3.10%-3.16%
63
Neutral
$10.79B15.437.44%2.01%2.89%-14.66%
63
Neutral
$8.41B10.6817.36%1.10%-13.55%
56
Neutral
$12.72B22.566.58%2.67%-8.81%-60.95%
* Industrials Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
CAT
Caterpillar
828.79
524.68
172.53%
AGCO
Agco
117.51
33.15
39.29%
CNH
CNH Industrial
10.25
-1.15
-10.09%
DE
Deere
567.69
113.01
24.85%
OSK
Oshkosh
150.71
63.89
73.58%
PCAR
Paccar
127.20
39.17
44.49%

Caterpillar Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Caterpillar Adds Lynn Good as Board Nominee
Positive
Apr 13, 2026
On April 7, 2026, Caterpillar’s board of directors moved to expand and refresh its governance bench by selecting Lynn Good as a director nominee for election at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Subject to shareholder approval, her ap...
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesFinancial Disclosures
Caterpillar Names Veteran Executive Kyle Epley as CFO
Positive
Apr 10, 2026
Caterpillar Inc. announced on April 8, 2026, that long-serving Chief Financial Officer Andrew Bonfield will retire effective Oct. 1, 2026, after eight years marked by record financial performance and a reinforced operating model. He will remain CF...
Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Caterpillar Realigns Rail Unit Within Resource Industries Segment
Neutral
Mar 26, 2026
Caterpillar said it moved its Rail division from the Power Energy segment into Resource Industries effective Jan. 1, 2026, a realignment aimed at better mirroring its operational structure and how the CEO evaluates performance and deploys capital...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackDividendsFinancial Disclosures
Caterpillar Posts Record 2025 Sales Despite Margin Compression
Positive
Jan 29, 2026
On January 29, 2026, Caterpillar reported record fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, with sales and revenues climbing 18% year-on-year in the fourth quarter to $19.1 billion and 4% for the full year to an all-time high of $67.6 billion, dri...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Apr 14, 2026