CAT vs. SWK: Caterpillar vs. Stanley Black & Decker Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) both belong to the Machinery industry, though CAT is classified under Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment while SWK falls under Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Profile Item	CAT	SWK
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Stanley Black & Decker 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	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	17.08 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

SWK

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	83.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	17.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	-5.19%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

SWK

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	38.68%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	1.10
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-68.03%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	1.67M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and SWK 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	2.04
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	3.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 9.44%, 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%

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

9.44%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
SWK: 9.44%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 5.53%, 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%

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

5.53%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
SWK: 5.53%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 8.71%, 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%

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

8.71%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
SWK: 8.71%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	9.44%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	3.48%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	5.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	8.71%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	32.16%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at -1.53% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 35.90% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for SWK.

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	-1.53%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	-3.71%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	35.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	-26.81%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 1.42 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

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

1.42

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
SWK: 1.42
Min: 0.36

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 0.58 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

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

0.58

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
SWK: 0.58
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	0.58
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	2.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.13% pays an industry-typical yield; Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 2.89% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

2.89%

SWK: 2.89%
Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 24.18% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 59.68% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

59.68%

Max: 67.39%
SWK: 59.68%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.13%	2.89%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	24.18%	59.68%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 20.58 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

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

20.58

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
SWK: 20.58
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): 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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 1.12 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

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

1.12

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
SWK: 1.12
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) at 1.93 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

SWK

Capital Goods industry group

1.93

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
SWK: 1.93
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)
Metric	CAT	SWK
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	20.58
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	1.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	1.93
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	11.37%