Global Urbanization And Electrification Will Boost Equipment Demand

Key Takeaways

• Strong market positioning and innovation across key segments, including electrified vehicles and defense, are driving sustainable margin expansion and outperformance potential.
  
• Accelerated share buybacks and high free cash flow create conditions for substantial EPS growth, with market underestimating long-term revenue and profitability prospects.
  
• Slow innovation, supply chain headwinds, heavy defense contract dependence, and regulatory pressures heighten Oshkosh's risks to margins, cash flow, and long-term market share.

Catalysts

Provides purpose-built vehicles and equipment worldwide.

• Analyst consensus expects significant margin recovery in Vocational and Transport, but Oshkosh is already exceeding 2028 targets in Vocational margins and is demonstrating the ability to scale further through rapid capacity expansion, sustained premium product demand, and next-generation vehicle introductions, which could unlock even higher, sustained operating margins and earnings growth over multiple years.
  
• While analysts broadly agree the NGDV production ramp and recent defense contracts will drive a step-up in Transport revenues, the under-appreciated advantage is the combination of enhanced contract pricing, economic adjustment mechanisms, and a proven new leadership team that position Oshkosh for outsized multi-year profitability and share gains in both U.S. and international defense, far beyond current expectations for revenue and net margin growth.
  
• Ongoing, robust government infrastructure investment and the secular boom in data center and power generation construction are driving years-long demand for Access and Vocational products, with normalized backlogs and utilization trends indicating that Oshkosh is positioned for recurring, high-single to double-digit annual revenue growth, underappreciated by the market.
  
• Oshkosh is at the forefront of meeting accelerated customer requirements for electrified, autonomous, and connected fleet vehicles-with early leadership in next-gen fire apparatus and refuse collection, as well as intelligent telematics-setting the stage for both market share gains and a structural mix shift to higher-margin, technology-laden products, fundamentally transforming long-term net margins.
  
• Share buybacks are set to materially accelerate, with management signaling an intention to double last year's pace, underpinned by a new, much higher free cash flow outlook; this aggressive capital return, combined with a discounted valuation multiple, positions EPS for growth well ahead of consensus.

Oshkosh Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• This narrative explores a more optimistic perspective on Oshkosh compared to the consensus, based on a Fair Value that aligns with the bullish cohort of analysts.
• The bullish analysts are assuming Oshkosh's revenue will grow by 8.5% annually over the next 3 years.
• The bullish analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 6.3% today to 7.9% in 3 years time.
• The bullish analysts expect earnings to reach $1.0 billion (and earnings per share of $16.75) by about August 2028, up from $650.4 million today. The analysts are largely in agreement about this estimate.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the price target of the more bullish analyst cohort, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 13.4x on those 2028 earnings, up from 13.3x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the US Machinery industry at 23.2x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 1.67% per year for the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.36%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Oshkosh Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• The company's slower pace of innovation in autonomous and electric vehicles compared to competitors, along with management's focus on incremental improvements rather than transformative changes, increases the risk of losing long-term market share and limits top-line revenue growth.
  
• Persistent supply chain challenges and ongoing exposure to protectionist tariffs create a structurally higher cost environment for Oshkosh, which is likely to compress net margins and introduce volatility in operating income.
  
• The heavy reliance on large US government defense contracts, such as FMTV and FHTV, exposes Oshkosh to political risk and uncertain award cycles, making revenues and earnings increasingly sensitive to shifts in government spending or contract rebalancing.
  
• Oshkosh's substantial fixed-asset base and manufacturing footprint, combined with cyclical swings in end market demand-especially in Access and Transport segments-heighten the risk of margin erosion and reduced net profitability during periods of economic downturn or delayed infrastructure investment.
  
• Long-term environmental regulation and the increased push for sustainability in heavy equipment manufacturing will require significant investment in R&D and production retooling, leading to potential declines in free cash flow and EBITDA as Oshkosh acts to meet increasingly stringent emissions standards.

Valuation

• The assumed bullish price target for Oshkosh is $184.35, which represents two standard deviations above the consensus price target of $142.6. This valuation is based on what can be assumed as the expectations of Oshkosh's future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors from analysts on the bullish end of the spectrum.
  
• However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $188.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $103.71.
  
• In order for you to agree with the bullish analysts, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $13.3 billion, earnings will come to $1.0 billion, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 13.4x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.4%.
  
• Given the current share price of $135.23, the bullish analyst price target of $184.35 is 26.6% higher.
  
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.