CAT vs. TDG: Caterpillar vs. TransDigm Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG) 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 TransDigm (TDG) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but CAT is classified in Machinery while TDG is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Profile Item	CAT	TDG
Name	Caterpillar Inc.	TransDigm Group Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	255.63 billion USD	66.17 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 15, 2006
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAT

TDG

GSPC

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. TransDigm (TDG), 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 TransDigm (TDG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
Total Return (1Y)	6.75%	-3.42%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	38.34%	14.26%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	25.28%	16.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAT

TDG

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.33%	28.03%
Beta (5Y)	1.65	0.94
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-29.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.82M	369.72K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAT and TDG 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 TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.06	-0.27
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.08	-0.38

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Caterpillar (CAT) earns 56.14% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; TransDigm (TDG) has no ROE this period.

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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

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

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. TransDigm (TDG): TDG does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; CAT is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Caterpillar (CAT) at 15.21% and TransDigm (TDG) at 21.28% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

21.28%

Max: 27.47%
TDG: 21.28%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

TransDigm (TDG) at 46.01% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Caterpillar (CAT) at 20.19% also operates in the top 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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

46.01%

TDG: 46.01%
Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
ROE (TTM)	56.14%	--
ROA (TTM)	9.09%	11.82%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.21%	21.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.19%	46.01%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.54%	59.82%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at 4.29% and TransDigm (TDG) at 11.22% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Caterpillar (CAT) at -14.69% and TransDigm (TDG) at 25.21% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.29%	11.22%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	17.61%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.69%	25.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.17%	33.78%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

TransDigm (TDG) at 3.02 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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

3.02

Max: 5.22
TDG: 3.02
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Caterpillar (CAT) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10 against its industry range, while TransDigm (TDG) reports no figure this period.

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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00
TDG: --

Caterpillar (CAT) vs. TransDigm (TDG): TDG does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; CAT is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	3.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.10	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.25	6.03

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

TransDigm (TDG) 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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

TransDigm (TDG) 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%

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
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 TransDigm (TDG) at 36.31 sits in the richer quartile — TDG needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

36.31

Max: 59.38
TDG: 36.31
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Caterpillar (CAT) at 3.29 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while TransDigm (TDG) at 6.61 sits in the pricier quartile — TDG costs more per dollar of 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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

6.61

Max: 7.54
TDG: 6.61
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

TransDigm (TDG) reports a negative P/B ratio of -6.74, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Caterpillar (CAT) reports 11.90, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

TDG

Capital Goods industry group

-6.74

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08
TDG: -6.74

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Caterpillar (CAT) and TransDigm (TDG)
Metric	CAT	TDG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.92	36.31
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.29	6.61
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.90	-6.74
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	2.20%