CAT vs. SUNB: Caterpillar vs. Sunbelt Rentals Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Caterpillar (CAT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CAT is classified in Machinery while SUNB is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Caterpillar (CAT) has been public since January 2, 1962, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) listed only on March 2, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both CAT and SUNB need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 18.37%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

For every dollar of sales, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 15.21% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 12.12% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.19% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.38% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 3.36% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at -8.91% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 0.95 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.53 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.87% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.13% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SUNB the richer one.

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 24.18% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.63% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 23.28 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

On P/S ratio, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 3.29 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 2.75 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 4.24 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.

Valuation Metrics