CAT vs. ESLT: Caterpillar vs. Elbit Systems Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CAT is classified in Machinery while ESLT is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Profile Item	CAT	ESLT
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Elbit Systems Ltd.
Country/Region	United States	Israel
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	32.00 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	November 27, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

ESLT

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Elbit Systems (ESLT), 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	55.34%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	57.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	37.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

ESLT

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Caterpillar (CAT) has an aggressive beta of 1.65, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) is defensive at 0.10 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Caterpillar (CAT) trades around 2.82M shares per day on average, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) sees only 88.09K — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	47.34%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	0.10
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-35.54%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	88.09K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and ESLT 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	1.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	1.76

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 15.24%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

15.24%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
ESLT: 15.24%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Elbit Systems (ESLT): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 15.21% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 7.44%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

7.44%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
ESLT: 7.44%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.19% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 9.57%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

9.57%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
ESLT: 9.57%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	15.24%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	3.87%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	7.44%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	9.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	25.03%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% and Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 16.27% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Elbit Systems (ESLT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 58.64% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for ESLT.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Elbit Systems (ESLT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	16.27%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	12.93%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	58.64%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	22.61%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 and Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 1.40 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

1.40

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
ESLT: 1.40
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 0.19 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

0.19

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
ESLT: 0.19
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Elbit Systems (ESLT): 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	0.19
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	-0.11

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.13% and Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 0.58% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

0.58%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
ESLT: 0.58%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 24.18% and Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 23.33% 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%

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

23.33%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
ESLT: 23.33%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.13%	0.58%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.18%	23.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 51.36 sits in the richer quartile — ESLT needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

51.36

Max: 59.38
ESLT: 51.36
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Elbit Systems (ESLT): 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 3.74 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

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

3.74

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
ESLT: 3.74
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 7.24 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Caterpillar (CAT) at 11.90 prices even higher, above its industry 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

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

7.24

Max: 9.66
ESLT: 7.24
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Elbit Systems (ESLT)
Metric	CAT	ESLT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	51.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	3.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	7.24
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	-0.12%