Caterpillar
CATMarket price data through August 3, 2026.
Performance
Aug 2021 – Aug 2026
Track record
How this pick has done since Benson first called it.
- Benson Return
- +4%
- How much this stock is up since Benson first picked it — measured from the price at the time of that first pick, not from today.
- First pick price
- ~$800
- Roughly what one share cost when Benson first picked this stock. This is the starting line for the Benson Return.
- Tracking since
- April 2026
- The month this stock first became a Benson pick.
- Tracking duration
- 3 months
- How long Benson has been tracking this pick.
About Caterpillar
Caterpillar is the world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment, the yellow bulldozers and excavators you see on job sites everywhere. It now has a surprising second act: its giant engines and turbines power AI data centers that cannot get enough electricity from the grid. Think of it as selling the picks and shovels for both the building boom and the AI boom.
The case for and against
Both sides of the story, in plain English.
- Record Backlog
Customers have lined up a record 62.7 billion dollars in orders, up 79 percent in a single year. First quarter sales jumped 22 percent to 17.4 billion dollars, and the company returned 5.7 billion dollars to shareholders in that one quarter alone.
- AI Power Play
AI data centers need massive on-site and backup power, and Caterpillar's big gas engines and turbines are the go-to fix. Its power generation business grew 41 percent last quarter, and the company is tripling large engine capacity by 2030 to keep up with demand.
- Priced for Perfection
After nearly tripling in a year, the stock trades around 40 times earnings, more than double its historical average. If data center spending slows even a little, a stock priced this richly can fall hard.
- Tariff Squeeze
Tariffs are expected to cost Caterpillar 2.2 to 2.4 billion dollars in 2026, and the company is absorbing much of that cost instead of fully raising prices. Margins slipped last quarter even as sales surged.
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How to read this page
This automated research summary uses Financial Modeling Prep market data through 2026-08-03. Model signals, scores, and risk labels can change and may be incomplete or wrong.
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