Caterpillar Inc. · CAT · FY2025 Q2 · Calendar Q3 2025

Caterpillar: Record backlog supports outlook, tariffs pressure margins

The supplied analysis supports a constructive but qualified outlook: record backlog, order flow, infrastructure activity, and power-generation demand provide support, while tariffs and pricing pressure could limit margin expansion.

Reported Before market openNYSEIndustrials $374.88B market cap
90quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $4.72 Consensus $4.89
EPS surprise -3.5% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $16.57B Consensus $16.30B
Revenue surprise +1.6% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

prior-close to event-session close
Stock move +0.1% Event window
SPY move -0.5% Same window
Abnormal move +0.6% Stock minus SPY
Volume 1.6× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -4.4% Up to 20 sessions
CATSPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

The analysis highlighted a record $37.5 billion backlog, quantified 2025 tariff impact at $1.3-$1.5 billion, and placed full-year adjusted operating margin in the bottom half of the target range despite modest sales-growth expectations.

Guidance delta

Management raised guidance sentiment while placing full-year adjusted operating margin in the bottom half of its target range because of tariff pressure.

Key takeaways

  • Management described record backlog and strong order flow across construction, resource, and energy and transportation.
  • Power-generation demand tied to data-center and AI workloads was identified as a growth driver.
  • Tariffs were described as a significant near-term margin headwind.
  • The analysis characterized management tone as confident and guidance sentiment as raised.

Management priorities

  • Increase throughput and capacity at existing factories.
  • Continue investment in autonomous and electrification technologies.
  • Use Cat Financial merchandising programs to support sales.
  • Apply cost controls and pricing actions to mitigate tariff effects.
  • Provide additional strategic detail at the planned November Investor Day.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
CAT REVENUE earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 3 future estimate-only quarters. Q4 '23 estimate $17B Q4 '23 actual $17B, miss Q1 '24 estimate $16B Q1 '24 actual $16B, miss Q2 '24 estimate $17B Q2 '24 actual $17B, miss Q3 '24 estimate $16B Q3 '24 actual $16B, miss Q2 '25 estimate $16B Q2 '25 actual $17B, beat Q3 '25 estimate $17B Q3 '25 actual $18B, beat Q4 '25 estimate $18B Q4 '25 actual $19B, beat Q1 '26 estimate $17B Q1 '26 actual $17B, beat Q2 '26 estimate $19B Q2 '26 actual $21B, beat Q3 '26 estimate $21B Q4 '26 estimate $21B Q1 '27 estimate $19B
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusHold56 ratings
Bullish3155.4%
Neutral2137.5%
Bearish47.1%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$800.47Current
$164Low
$627.67Average
$1,165High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 9, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Morgan Stanley Equal Weight UnderweightUpgradeMay 1, 2026
HSBC Securities Buy HoldUpgradeNov 6, 2025
Erste Group Buy HoldUpgradeOct 3, 2025
Evercore ISI Group Outperform In LineUpgradeAug 19, 2025
Melius Research Buy HoldUpgradeJul 9, 2025
Show 51 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $800.47. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
Truist FinancialJamie Cook$1,100$838.47 +37.4%Oct 5, 2026
NeedhamAnalyst unavailable$980$815.56 +22.4%Sep 10, 2026
D.A. DavidsonAnalyst unavailable$882$870.11 +10.2%Aug 6, 2026
BarclaysAnalyst unavailable$900$871.08 +12.4%Aug 6, 2026
Truist FinancialAnalyst unavailable$980$892.07 +22.4%Aug 5, 2026
See 109 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

Caterpillar Inc., a global enterprise founded in 1925 and headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois (having previously operated as Caterpillar Tractor Co. until its rebranding in 1986), is a premier manufacturer and vendor of heavy construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas power units, and industrial gas turbines across the world. The company's extensive offerings are organized into several operational divisions: Construction Industries: This segment delivers a broad spectrum of machinery for construction projects, including asphalt pavers, versatile backhoe and skid steer loaders, various sizes of excavators (from compact to heavy-duty), compactors, road-building equipment like cold planers and motorgraders, pipelayers, site preparation tractors, telehandlers, and utility vehicles, alongside a range of wheel loaders and track-type equipment.…

Historical context

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-09T19:00:42.819013+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-09T19:00:42.816132+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-09. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.