CAT vs. CSL: Caterpillar vs. Carlisle Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CAT is classified in Machinery while CSL is classified in Building Products.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Profile Item	CAT	CSL
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Carlisle Companies Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Building Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Building Products
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	14.52 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

CSL

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	24.99%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	15.85%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	12.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

CSL

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	38.46%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	0.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-37.72%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	509.16K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and CSL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	0.54
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	0.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% and Carlisle (CSL) at 42.34% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

56.14%

CAT: 56.14%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

42.34%

CSL: 42.34%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 15.21% and Carlisle (CSL) at 13.78% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

15.21%

Max: 27.47%
CAT: 15.21%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

13.78%

Max: 27.47%
CSL: 13.78%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.19% and Carlisle (CSL) at 20.21% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

20.19%

Max: 36.60%
CAT: 20.19%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

20.21%

Max: 36.60%
CSL: 20.21%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	42.34%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	10.20%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	20.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	34.66%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Carlisle (CSL) at 0.33% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Carlisle (CSL) at -38.46% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	0.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	-2.70%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	-38.46%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	-0.84%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Carlisle (CSL) at 2.41 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CAT.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

1.42

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
CAT: 1.42
Min: 0.36

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

2.41

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
CSL: 2.41
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 and Carlisle (CSL) at 2.01 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

2.10

Max: 2.33
CAT: 2.10
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

2.01

Max: 2.33
CSL: 2.01
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	2.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	2.01
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	1.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Carlisle (CSL) at 1.20% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.13% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, CSL the richer one.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

1.13%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
CAT: 1.13%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

1.20%

Max: 2.66%
CSL: 1.20%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 24.18% and Carlisle (CSL) at 25.50% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

24.18%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
CAT: 24.18%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

25.50%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
CSL: 25.50%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.13%	1.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.18%	25.50%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 and Carlisle (CSL) at 21.06 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

21.92

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
CAT: 21.92
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

21.06

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
CSL: 21.06
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 3.29 and Carlisle (CSL) at 2.79 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

3.29

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
CAT: 3.29
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

2.79

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
CSL: 2.79
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 11.90 and Carlisle (CSL) at 10.11 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

11.90

CAT: 11.90
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

CSL

Capital Goods industry group

10.11

CSL: 10.11
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Carlisle (CSL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Carlisle (CSL)
Metric	CAT	CSL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	21.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	2.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	10.11
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	4.01%