CAT vs. ETN: Caterpillar vs. Eaton Stock Comparison

June 25, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN) 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 Eaton (ETN) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CAT is classified in Machinery while ETN is classified in Electrical Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Profile Item	CAT	ETN
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Eaton Corporation plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Electrical Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Electrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization	470.85 billion USD	157.10 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

ETN

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Eaton (ETN): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
Total Return (1Y)	186.63%	19.23%

Risk

Drawdown

CAT

ETN

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Eaton (ETN): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	35.54%	34.20%
Beta (5Y)	1.58	1.19
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.60M	2.55M

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Caterpillar (CAT) at 51.33% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Eaton (ETN) at 20.85% also sits in the top quartile.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

51.33%

CAT: 51.33%
Max: 45.10%
Q3: 19.84%
Median: 11.29%
Q1: 2.96%
Min: -19.79%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

20.85%

Max: 45.10%
ETN: 20.85%
Q3: 19.84%
Median: 11.29%
Q1: 2.96%
Min: -19.79%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 13.33% and Eaton (ETN) at 13.99% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

13.33%

Max: 24.69%
CAT: 13.33%
Q3: 11.55%
Median: 5.84%
Q1: 0.61%
Min: -13.94%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

13.99%

Max: 24.69%
ETN: 13.99%
Q3: 11.55%
Median: 5.84%
Q1: 0.61%
Min: -13.94%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 18.18% and Eaton (ETN) at 16.11% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

18.18%

Max: 29.84%
CAT: 18.18%
Q3: 15.85%
Median: 8.19%
Q1: 1.86%
Min: -17.50%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

16.11%

Max: 29.84%
ETN: 16.11%
Q3: 15.85%
Median: 8.19%
Q1: 1.86%
Min: -17.50%

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

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
ROE (TTM)	51.33%	20.85%
ROA (TTM)	8.52%	7.02%
Net Margin (TTM)	13.33%	13.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.18%	16.11%
Gross Margin (TTM)	28.60%	37.11%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	10.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	9.77%

EPS Growth

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

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	10.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	19.39%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.35 and Eaton (ETN) at 1.19 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

1.35

Max: 5.24
Q3: 2.97
Median: 2.11
Q1: 1.45
CAT: 1.35
Min: 0.71

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.19

Max: 5.24
Q3: 2.97
Median: 2.11
Q1: 1.45
ETN: 1.19
Min: 0.71

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Eaton (ETN): 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: Eaton (ETN) at 1.10 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.31 is above its industry benchmark range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

2.31

CAT: 2.31
Max: 2.29
Q3: 1.09
Median: 0.62
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.10

Max: 2.29
ETN: 1.10
Q3: 1.09
Median: 0.62
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.35	1.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.31	1.10
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.73	3.32

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 0.61% and Eaton (ETN) at 1.04% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

0.61%

Max: 2.55%
Q3: 1.04%
CAT: 0.61%
Median: 0.16%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.04%

Max: 2.55%
Q3: 1.04%
ETN: 1.04%
Median: 0.16%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 29.58% and Eaton (ETN) at 41.29% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

29.58%

Max: 72.02%
CAT: 29.58%
Q3: 29.58%
Median: 6.74%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

41.29%

Max: 72.02%
ETN: 41.29%
Q3: 29.58%
Median: 6.74%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.61%	1.04%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	29.58%	41.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 51.01 and Eaton (ETN) at 39.51 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

51.01

Max: 93.00
Q3: 51.83
CAT: 51.01
Median: 32.98
Q1: 23.13
Min: 6.27

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

39.51

Max: 93.00
Q3: 51.83
ETN: 39.51
Median: 32.98
Q1: 23.13
Min: 6.27

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 6.65 and Eaton (ETN) at 5.51 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

6.65

Max: 9.85
CAT: 6.65
Q3: 4.98
Median: 2.74
Q1: 1.28
Min: 0.04

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

5.51

Max: 9.85
ETN: 5.51
Q3: 4.98
Median: 2.74
Q1: 1.28
Min: 0.04

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Eaton (ETN) at 7.97 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Caterpillar (CAT) at 25.23 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CAT

Capital Goods industry group

25.23

CAT: 25.23
Max: 13.88
Q3: 7.03
Median: 3.70
Q1: 2.08
Min: -4.93

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

7.97

Max: 13.88
ETN: 7.97
Q3: 7.03
Median: 3.70
Q1: 2.08
Min: -4.93

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

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Eaton (ETN)
Metric	CAT	ETN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	51.01	39.51
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.65	5.51
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	25.23	7.97
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.80%	1.68%