CAT vs. PCAR: Caterpillar vs. PACCAR Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR) 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 PACCAR (PCAR) are both classified in the Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment sub-industry within the broader Machinery industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Profile Item	CAT	PCAR
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	PACCAR Inc.
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	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	53.69 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

PCAR

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. PACCAR (PCAR), 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 PACCAR (PCAR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	9.49%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	11.04%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	16.64%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

PCAR

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	27.23%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	0.94
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-27.75%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	3.33M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and PCAR 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 PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	0.19
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	0.30

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than PACCAR (PCAR) at 13.71%, 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%

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

13.71%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
PCAR: 13.71%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. PACCAR (PCAR): 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 PACCAR (PCAR) at 9.50%, 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%

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

9.50%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
PCAR: 9.50%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. PACCAR (PCAR): 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 PACCAR (PCAR) at 12.59%, 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%

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

12.59%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
PCAR: 12.59%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	13.71%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	4.53%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	9.50%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	12.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	14.21%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while PACCAR (PCAR) at -15.50% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. PACCAR (PCAR): 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 PACCAR (PCAR) at -42.91% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	-15.50%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	-0.44%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	-42.91%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	-7.80%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

PACCAR (PCAR) at 5.47 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

5.47

PCAR: 5.47
Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

PACCAR (PCAR) at 0.72 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

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

0.72

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
PCAR: 0.72
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. PACCAR (PCAR): 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 PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	5.47
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	0.72
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	1.62

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

PACCAR (PCAR) at 1.30% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.13% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PCAR the richer one.

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%

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

1.30%

Max: 2.66%
PCAR: 1.30%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 24.18% and PACCAR (PCAR) at 25.95% 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%

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

25.95%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
PCAR: 25.95%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.13%	1.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.18%	25.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PACCAR (PCAR) at 19.46 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for PCAR, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

19.46

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
PCAR: 19.46
Min: 3.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. PACCAR (PCAR): 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 PACCAR (PCAR) at 1.85 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

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

1.85

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
PCAR: 1.85
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

PACCAR (PCAR) at 2.57 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

PCAR

Capital Goods industry group

2.57

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
PCAR: 2.57
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and PACCAR (PCAR)
Metric	CAT	PCAR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	19.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	1.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	2.57
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	3.23%