Benzinga - by Zacks, Benzinga Contributor.
Wall Street analysts forecast that Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) will report quarterly earnings of $5.14 per share in its upcoming release, pointing to a year-over-year increase of 4.7%. It is anticipated that revenues will amount to $16.06 billion, exhibiting an increase of 1.3% compared to the year-ago quarter.
Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been adjusted upward by 0.6% to its current level. This demonstrates the covering analysts' collective reassessment of their initial projections during this period.
Prior to a company's earnings release, it is of utmost importance to factor in any revisions made to the earnings projections. These revisions serve as a critical gauge for predicting potential investor behaviors with respect to the stock. Empirical studies consistently reveal a strong link between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock.
While investors typically rely on consensus earnings and revenue estimates to gauge how the business may have fared during the quarter, examining analysts' projections for some of the company's key metrics often helps gain a deeper insight.
With that in mind, let's delve into the average projections of some Caterpillar metrics that are commonly tracked and projected by analysts on Wall Street.
The consensus among analysts is that 'Total sales and revenues- Financial Products- Total' will reach $816.70 million. The estimate suggests a change of +7% year over year.
The consensus estimate for 'Total sales and revenues- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Resource Industries' stands at $3.29 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of -4%.
Analysts forecast 'Total sales and revenues- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Energy & Transportation' to reach $6.34 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +1.4% year over year.
Analysts expect 'Total sales and revenues- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- All Other' to come in at $120.59 million. The estimate indicates a change of +8.6% from the prior-year quarter.
According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Sales and Revenues- Asia/Pacific- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- All Other Segments' should come in at $13.18 million. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +1.4%.
Analysts' assessment points toward 'Sales and Revenues- North America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Construction' reaching $3.70 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +2.5% year over year.
The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Sales and Revenues- North America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Resource Industries' of $1.25 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of -4.7%.
The average prediction of analysts places 'Sales and Revenues- North America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Energy & Transportation' at $2.76 billion. The estimate points to a change of +7.2% from the year-ago quarter.
It is projected by analysts that the 'Sales and Revenues- North America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- All Other Segments' will reach $17.91 million. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of -0.5%.
Analysts predict that the 'Sales and Revenues- Latin America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Construction' will reach $587.04 million. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of -2%.
The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Sales and Revenues- Latin America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Resource Industries' will likely reach $479.41 million. The estimate suggests a change of +1.1% year over year.
Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Sales and Revenues- Latin America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Energy & Transportation' should arrive at $411.79 million. The estimate indicates a change of +8.4% from the prior-year quarter.
Shares of Caterpillar have experienced a change of -1% in the past month compared to the -4% move of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), CAT is expected to mirror the overall market performance in the near future.
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