CAT vs. DE: Caterpillar vs. Deere Stock Comparison

October 3, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) both belong to the Machinery industry, though CAT is classified under Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment while DE falls under Agricultural & Farm Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Profile Item	CAT	DE
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Deere & Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Agricultural & Farm Machinery
Market Capitalization	388.62 billion USD	185.23 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Deere (DE), 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 Deere (DE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
Total Return (1Y)	73.89%	50.46%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	48.05%	24.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	36.51%	16.46%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Deere (DE), 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 Deere (DE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	39.94%	32.32%
Beta (5Y)	1.62	0.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.05%	-33.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.69M	1.21M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and DE 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 Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.74	1.42
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.77	2.42

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.97% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Deere (DE) at 18.24%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

56.97%

CAT: 56.97%
Max: 40.35%
Q3: 18.66%
Median: 11.42%
Q1: 2.92%
Min: -19.86%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

18.24%

Max: 40.35%
Q3: 18.66%
DE: 18.24%
Median: 11.42%
Q1: 2.92%
Min: -19.86%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 14.51% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Deere (DE) at 10.17%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

14.51%

Max: 27.47%
CAT: 14.51%
Q3: 11.78%
Median: 5.82%
Q1: 0.86%
Min: -14.15%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

10.17%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 11.78%
DE: 10.17%
Median: 5.82%
Q1: 0.86%
Min: -14.15%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 22.18% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Deere (DE) at 13.37%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

22.18%

Max: 35.46%
CAT: 22.18%
Q3: 17.72%
Median: 10.67%
Q1: 4.86%
Min: -12.63%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

13.37%

Max: 35.46%
Q3: 17.72%
DE: 13.37%
Median: 10.67%
Q1: 4.86%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
ROE (TTM)	56.97%	18.24%
ROA (TTM)	9.03%	3.76%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.51%	10.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	22.18%	13.37%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.71%	25.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Deere (DE) at -11.59% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Deere (DE): 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 Deere (DE) at -27.79% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	-11.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	-4.50%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	-27.79%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	-7.37%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Deere (DE) at 2.13 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.37 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CAT.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

1.37

Max: 5.28
Q3: 2.99
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.45
CAT: 1.37
Min: 0.75

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.13

Max: 5.28
Q3: 2.99
DE: 2.13
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.75

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but CAT is more stretched: Deere (DE) at 2.30 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.33 is above its industry benchmark range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

2.33

CAT: 2.33
Max: 2.32
Q3: 1.09
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.27
Min: 0.00

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.30

Max: 2.32
DE: 2.30
Q3: 1.09
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.27
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Deere (DE): 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 Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.37	2.13
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.33	2.30
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.41	6.70

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 0.75% and Deere (DE) at 0.97% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

0.75%

Max: 2.71%
Q3: 1.12%
CAT: 0.75%
Median: 0.18%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

0.97%

Max: 2.71%
Q3: 1.12%
DE: 0.97%
Median: 0.18%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 26.01% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Deere (DE) at 36.02% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

26.01%

Max: 72.00%
Q3: 28.87%
CAT: 26.01%
Median: 6.31%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

36.02%

Max: 72.00%
DE: 36.02%
Q3: 28.87%
Median: 6.31%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.75%	0.97%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	26.01%	36.02%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 35.58 and Deere (DE) at 37.04 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

35.58

Max: 68.88
Q3: 39.98
CAT: 35.58
Median: 29.10
Q1: 20.30
Min: 0.74

DE

Capital Goods industry group

37.04

Max: 68.88
Q3: 39.98
DE: 37.04
Median: 29.10
Q1: 20.30
Min: 0.74

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Deere (DE) at 3.86 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 5.20 sits in the pricier quartile — CAT costs more per dollar of sales.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

5.20

Max: 9.58
CAT: 5.20
Q3: 4.53
Median: 2.38
Q1: 1.11
Min: 0.05

DE

Capital Goods industry group

3.86

Max: 9.58
Q3: 4.53
DE: 3.86
Median: 2.38
Q1: 1.11
Min: 0.05

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Deere (DE) at 6.62 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.04 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

20.04

CAT: 20.04
Max: 11.24
Q3: 5.68
Median: 3.19
Q1: 1.95
Min: -3.26

DE

Capital Goods industry group

6.62

Max: 11.24
DE: 6.62
Q3: 5.68
Median: 3.19
Q1: 1.95
Min: -3.26

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	CAT	DE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	35.58	37.04
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.20	3.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	20.04	6.62
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.30%	2.44%