CAT vs. GNRC: Caterpillar vs. Generac Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Profile Item	CAT	GNRC
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Generac Holdings Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
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	255.63 billion USD	10.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	February 11, 2010
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

GNRC

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Generac (GNRC), 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 Generac (GNRC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	23.38%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	23.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	-15.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

GNRC

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	59.48%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	1.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-81.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	1.22M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and GNRC 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 Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	0.50

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Generac (GNRC) at 10.64%, 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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
GNRC: 10.64%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC) at 6.52%, 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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
GNRC: 6.52%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC) at 11.67%, 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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
GNRC: 11.67%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	10.64%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	4.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	6.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	11.67%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	38.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	-2.02%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	-2.67%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	-50.09%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	-20.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
GNRC: 1.97
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
GNRC: 0.47
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.97
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	0.47
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	1.65

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Caterpillar (CAT) reports a yield of 1.13%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Caterpillar (CAT) reports a payout of 24.18%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.13%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.18%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 and Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
GNRC: 34.87
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
GNRC: 2.26
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 11.90 prices above its benchmark range — CAT looks rich relative to book.

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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
GNRC: 3.46
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	CAT	GNRC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	34.87
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	2.26
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	3.46
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	3.21%