CAT vs. SYM: Caterpillar vs. Symbotic Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Caterpillar (CAT) has more than two decades of public-market history since January 2, 1962, whereas Symbotic (SYM) listed on March 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and Symbotic (SYM)
Profile Item	CAT	SYM
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	Symbotic Inc. Class A Common Stock
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	22.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 9, 2021
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

SYM

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Symbotic (SYM), 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 Symbotic (SYM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	-44.66%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	6.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	30.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

SYM

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	78.15%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	2.05
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-72.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	1.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and SYM 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 Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	-0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	-0.93

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 56.14% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Symbotic (SYM) at 4.39%, 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.39%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
SYM: 4.39%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 15.21% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Symbotic (SYM) at 0.31% keeps a bottom-quartile 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
SYM: 0.31%
Min: -12.89%

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.19% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.59% operates in the bottom quartile.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
SYM: 4.59%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	4.39%
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	0.32%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	0.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	4.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	21.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Symbotic (SYM) at 25.65% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for SYM.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Caterpillar (CAT) reports EPS growth of -14.69%, ranked against its industry; Symbotic (SYM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	25.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	55.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 1.42 and Symbotic (SYM) at 1.33 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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

1.33

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
SYM: 1.33
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Symbotic (SYM) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.10 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
SYM: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. Symbotic (SYM): 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 Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.33
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	0.02
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	-30.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

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

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 21.92 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 460.25 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SYM’s trailing earnings.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

460.25

SYM: 460.25
Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 3.29 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 8.42 clears its benchmark range — SYM looks notably rich on sales.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

8.42

SYM: 8.42
Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Symbotic (SYM) at 6.70 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Caterpillar (CAT) at 11.90 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max: 9.66
SYM: 6.70
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and Symbotic (SYM)
Metric	CAT	SYM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	460.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	8.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	6.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	2.46%