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 ...