CAT vs. MTZ: Caterpillar vs. MasTec Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ) 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 MasTec (MTZ) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CAT is classified in Machinery while MTZ is classified in Construction & Engineering.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Profile Item	CAT	MTZ
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	MasTec, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Construction & Engineering
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Construction & Engineering
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	13.98 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

MTZ

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. MasTec (MTZ), 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 MasTec (MTZ). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	-7.45%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	57.37%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	13.96%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

MTZ

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	55.99%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	1.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-63.67%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	1.63M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and MTZ 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 MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	-0.21
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	-0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than MasTec (MTZ) at 14.53%, 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%

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

14.53%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
MTZ: 14.53%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. MasTec (MTZ): 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 MasTec (MTZ) at 2.80%, 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%

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

2.80%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
MTZ: 2.80%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. MasTec (MTZ): 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 MasTec (MTZ) at 5.64%, 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%

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

5.64%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
MTZ: 5.64%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	14.53%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	4.43%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	2.80%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	5.64%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	12.74%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% and MasTec (MTZ) at 16.22% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

MasTec (MTZ) at 146.12% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	16.22%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	13.51%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	146.12%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	129.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 and MasTec (MTZ) at 1.39 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

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
MTZ: 1.39
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 and MasTec (MTZ) at 1.12 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

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

1.12

Max: 2.33
MTZ: 1.12
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. MasTec (MTZ): 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 MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	1.12
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	3.08

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

MasTec (MTZ) 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%

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

MasTec (MTZ) 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%

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
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 MasTec (MTZ) at 28.40 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

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

28.40

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
MTZ: 28.40
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

MasTec (MTZ) at 0.81 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Caterpillar (CAT) at 3.29 prices around its industry’s middle — MTZ costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

0.81

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
MTZ: 0.81
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

MasTec (MTZ) at 3.35 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

MTZ

Capital Goods industry group

3.35

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
MTZ: 3.35
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and MasTec (MTZ)
Metric	CAT	MTZ
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	28.40
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	0.81
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	3.35
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	1.00%