Caterpillar Inc. · CAT · FY2025 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2025

Caterpillar’s record quarter was led by power-generation demand

The supplied analysis supports a constructive but conditional view: resilient demand, record backlog and power-generation growth strengthened Caterpillar’s near-term outlook, while tariffs, pricing and capacity constraints remain the main tests of margin and execution.

Reported Before market openNYSEIndustrials $389.43B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $4.95 Consensus $4.53
EPS surprise +9.3% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $17.64B Consensus $16.77B
Revenue surprise +5.2% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

prior-close to event-session close
Stock move +11.6% Event window
SPY move +0.0% Same window
Abnormal move +11.6% Stock minus SPY
Volume 2.3× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -2.0% Up to 20 sessions
CATSPY benchmark

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What changed

Compared with the prior quarter, the analysis shows stronger evidence of power-generation and data-center demand, record revenue and backlog, a raised full-year sales outlook, and a larger quantified tariff burden requiring mitigation.

Guidance delta

Management raised full-year 2025 sales guidance and expects free cash flow above the midpoint of its $5–$10 billion range.

Key takeaways

  • Management reported record third-quarter revenue and backlog, with Energy & Transportation growth outpacing expectations.
  • Data-center power demand and turbine orders were identified as important growth drivers.
  • Tariffs remained a material cost headwind, while management cited mitigation actions and maintained a confident tone.
  • Softer Asia-Pacific demand, price realization, and turbine capacity are key areas to monitor.

Management priorities

  • Increase production capacity for Solar turbines, including Titan 250 and Titan 350 models.
  • Continue autonomous solutions and advanced powertrains in Resource Industries.
  • Manage dealer inventory to support fourth-quarter volume growth.
  • Execute the strategic initiatives outlined for Investor Day.
  • Offset tariff impacts and improve margin accretion.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
CAT EPS earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 3 future estimate-only quarters. Q4 '23 estimate $4.75 Q4 '23 actual $5.23, beat Q1 '24 estimate $5.14 Q1 '24 actual $5.60, beat Q2 '24 estimate $5.54 Q2 '24 actual $5.99, beat Q3 '24 estimate $5.34 Q3 '24 actual $5.17, miss Q2 '25 estimate $4.89 Q2 '25 actual $4.72, miss Q3 '25 estimate $4.53 Q3 '25 actual $4.95, beat Q4 '25 estimate $4.71 Q4 '25 actual $5.16, beat Q1 '26 estimate $4.65 Q1 '26 actual $5.54, beat Q2 '26 estimate $6.22 Q2 '26 actual $8.17, beat Q3 '26 estimate $6.95 Q4 '26 estimate $6.71 Q1 '27 estimate $6.24
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Analyst Consensus ?

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

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$845.42Current
$164Low
$626.43Average
$1,165High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 3, 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 $845.42. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
NeedhamAnalyst unavailable$980$815.56 +15.9%Sep 10, 2026
D.A. DavidsonAnalyst unavailable$882$870.11 +4.3%Aug 6, 2026
BarclaysAnalyst unavailable$900$871.08 +6.5%Aug 6, 2026
Truist FinancialAnalyst unavailable$980$892.07 +15.9%Aug 5, 2026
BernsteinChad Dillard$1,002$894.52 +18.5%Aug 5, 2026
See 108 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 · 2026-10-03T19:10:41.361448+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-03T19:10:41.358669+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 2026-10-03. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.