Caterpillar Inc CAT
Stock research in plain language · As of Oct 04, 2026 · updated once a week, after the trading week closes
What the company does
Caterpillar Inc is a mega-cap company in the Industrials sector (Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery), with a market value of $388.6B, based in the USA.
It employs about 118,000 people and has been listed since Jan 02, 1962.
Caterpillar Inc. provides construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in the United States and internationally. The Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, cold planers, compactors, forestry machines, material handlers, motor graders, pipelayers, road reclaimers, telehandlers, track-type tractors, and track and wheel excavators; backhoe, compact track, skid steer, track-type, and wheel loaders; and related parts and work tools.
Cheap or expensive? priced in line with its group
Its price-to-earnings (P/E) is 35.6 versus 26.5 for 3 direct peers — priced in line with its group.
Revenue is growing 24% versus the same quarter last year.
On analysts' next-year forecasts the multiple drops to 25.4 — they expect higher earnings.
The average analyst price target is 975.61, 15% above the current price (their view, not ours).
The stock sits at 62% of its one-year range (0% = the low, 100% = the high).
The risks
- • Net debt is 2.0× shareholders' equity — high leverage.
- • The stock is more volatile than average (beta 1.6) — big daily moves both ways.
Strengths
- ✅ Profitable — 18 of every 100 dollars of revenue stays as profit.
- ✅ Generates free cash flow — profit becomes cash in the bank.
- ✅ Buys back its shares (2% fewer shares in a year).
- ✅ Most analysts rate it buy (15 vs 2).
- ✅ Revenue is growing 24% a year.
- ✅ Pays a dividend (0.8% a year).
What changed this week
Over the past week the stock rose 2.9% (for comparison: S&P 500 -0.2%, sector ETF XLI -0.3%).
This week's news
- Key deals this week: Onsemi, Mattel, Nebius, Advanced Micro Devices, and more seekingalpha.com · 2026-10-03
- Caterpillar (CAT) Is Considered a Good Investment by Brokers: Is That True? finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-02
- Caterpillar (CAT) Surpasses Market Returns: Some Facts Worth Knowing finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-01
- PACCAR (PCAR) vs. OSK and CMI: Can Its Truck Replacement Cycle Revive Earnings Growth? finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-01
- Caterpillar's $1B Compact Equipment Investment: A Growth Driver? finance.yahoo.com · 2026-10-01
- Caterpillar Stocks Fall 1.2% as $1 Billion Factory Expands Compact Equipment finance.yahoo.com · 2026-09-30
A description of facts from the filings and the market — not investment advice or a recommendation. "Cheap" and "expensive" are always relative to the comparison group.