ALSN vs CAT vs HSBC Stock Comparison

Allison Transmission Holdings, Caterpillar and Hsbc Holdings Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$713.64 -13.1% 1M +35.4% 1Y
Market cap
$328.06B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.88%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
HSBC Hsbc Holdings Plc
$86.01 -14.8% 1M +28.0% 1Y
Market cap
$295.45B
P/E
11.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$55.16B
Div. yield
4.36%
Money Center Banks Financial Services
7 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Hsbc Holdings leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Hsbc Holdings 7, Caterpillar 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALSNCATHSBCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.89B $328.06B $295.45B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 16.9x 30.3x 11.3x HSBC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.0x 27.7x 9.5x HSBC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +37.6% +18.4% +1,900.0% HSBC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.0% 14.5% 47.9% HSBC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.7% 15.9% — CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.4x 2.5x — CAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.06% 0.88% 4.36% HSBC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +29.1% +35.4% +28.0% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.6%/yr +28.5%/yr +23.1%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.3% 40.5% 28.3% HSBC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 51/100 65/100 HSBC

Percentile Scorecard

ALSNCATHSBC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisALSNCATHSBC
Valuation 74 #53 of 203 21 #160 of 203 13 #313 of 360
Growth 42 #109 of 188 67 #63 of 188 70 #58 of 191
Profitability 89 #22 of 183 92 #15 of 183 86 #25 of 168
Financial Health 14 #187 of 217 17 #180 of 217 –
Shareholder Returns 67 #51 of 153 56 #68 of 153 90 #34 of 341
Overall 57 51 65
  • ALSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • HSBC ranked among 368 companies in Banking

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodALSNCATHSBCSPY
1 month -5.4%-13.1%-14.8% -0.2%
3 months -11.2%-15.2%-17.0% +3.9%
6 months -17.2%-12.7%-4.4% +8.2%
Year to date +10.0%+24.6%+9.3% +12.9%
1 year +29.1%+35.4%+28.0% +12.3%
3 years +107.5%+199.1%+134.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +27.6%+44.1%+32.8% +23.3%
5 years +212.5%+249.7%+182.8% +67.9%
5 years, per year +25.6%+28.5%+23.1% +10.9%
10 years +267.5%+759.7%+126.2% +261.1%
10 years, per year +13.9%+24.0%+8.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureALSNCATHSBCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%40.5%28.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.3%39.9%28.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.051.851.26 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.930.870.99 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.1%-35.5%-34.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -20.8%-33.0%-20.3% -1.2%
52-week high $136.00$1,064.90$107.85 $779.14
52-week low $79.27$524.47$67.20 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleALSNCATHSBC
P/E now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 25.2x 30.3xmedian 25.2x 11.3xmedian 12.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 1.9x 4.4xmedian 1.9x 5.4xmedian 3.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.4xmedian 14.0x 23.7xmedian 14.0x —median 5.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.1xmedian 21.7x 36.5xmedian 21.7x —median 10.9x
P/B now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 2.3x 16.9xmedian 2.3x 1.5xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median -5.93median 1.32 2.32median 1.32 3.03median 1.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsALSNCATHSBC
Revenue $4.40B $74.73B $55.16B
Gross profit $1.60B $25.66B –
Operating income $861.00M $13.09B $33.06B
Net income $529.00M $10.84B $28.08B
Free cash flow $737.00M $8.99B –
R&D $197.00M $2.27B –
EPS (diluted) $6.30 $23.45 $7.53
Cash & equivalents $399.00M $6.71B $222.46B
Total debt $4.14B $45.15B –
Shares (diluted) 84.00M 462.50M 3.51B
Enterprise value $5.78B $299.76B -$1.81T

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricALSNCATHSBC
P/E 16.9x 30.3x 11.3x
P/FCF 12.1x 36.5x –
P/Operating cash flow 9.5x 24.2x –
P/S 2.0x 4.4x 5.4x
P/B 4.5x 16.9x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 23.9x 17.3x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 11.4x 23.7x –
EV/EBIT 14.7x 28.0x -16.4x
EV/Revenue 2.9x 4.9x -9.8x
EV/FCF 17.1x 40.7x –
EV/Operating cash flow 13.5x 27.0x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.93 2.32 3.03

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALSNCATHSBC
Revenue growth (1Y) 37.6% 18.4% 1,900%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.2% 4.9% -4.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 3.5% 11.7% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 5.6% –
Operating income growth (1Y) -13.9% 13.7% 40.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -0.2% 7.7% 1.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -30.6% 14.9% 51.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.4% 9.0% -1.1%
EPS growth (1Y) -29.8% 17.1% 68.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -2.8% 13.0% 3.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.2% 19.3% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.1% 10.6% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.7% 16.2% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.8% 7.4% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALSNCATHSBC
Gross margin 36.4% 34.3% –
EBITDA margin 25.1% 20.7% –
Operating margin 19.6% 17.5% 59.9%
Pretax margin 15.7% 18.6% 65.2%
Net margin 12.0% 14.5% 47.9%
FCF margin 16.7% 12.0% –
Operating cash flow margin 21.3% 18.2% –
Return on equity 27.3% 57.0% 14.3%
Return on assets 6.1% 10.9% 0.8%
Return on invested capital 10.7% 15.9% –
Return on capital employed 11.7% 22.1% –
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 0.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.3x –
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALSNCATHSBC
Debt / assets 47.5% 44.0% –
Debt / equity 2.1x 2.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA 3.4x 2.5x –
Debt / FCF 5.6x 5.0x –
Liabilities / assets 77.3% 81.1% 94.3%
Equity / assets 22.7% 18.9% 5.7%
Interest coverage – 6.8x –
Current ratio 1.8x 1.4x –
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.5x –
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x –
Altman Z-score 1.79 4.64 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALSNCATHSBC
Dividend yield 1.1% 0.9% 4.4%
Net buyback yield 1.4% 2.2% –
Shareholder yield 2.5% 3.1% 4.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 25.9% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 31.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 4.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 4.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusALSNCATHSBC
Forward P/E 14.0xFY2026 27.7xFY2026 9.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.67FY2026 $25.79FY2026 $9.02FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.6%FY2026 +35.3%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +45.5% +31.4% +9.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.32BFY2026 $84.12BFY2026 $70.05BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +109.9%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026 -1.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.4% +1.5% +18.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALSNCATHSBC
Held by institutions 100.0% 72.3% 2.5%
Institutions holding 566 4,057 707
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +0.5% -0.3%
Institutions buying 258 1,888 402
Institutions selling 229 1,595 180
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.18 2.23

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ALSNCATHSBC
ALSN 1.00 0.52 0.43
CAT 0.52 1.00 0.44
HSBC 0.43 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALSN, CAT and HSBC?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) $8.89B, Caterpillar (CAT) $328.06B, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) $295.45B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALSN, CAT and HSBC?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 16.9x, Caterpillar (CAT) 30.3x, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 11.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) is cheapest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 14.0x, Caterpillar (CAT) 27.7x, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 9.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +37.6%, Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) +1,900.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) has the highest net margin (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 12.0%, Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 47.9%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 10.7%, Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +29.1%, Caterpillar (CAT) +35.4%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) +28.0%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +25.6%/yr, Caterpillar (CAT) +28.5%/yr, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) +23.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) has the highest dividend yield: Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 1.06%, Caterpillar (CAT) 0.88%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 4.36%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) has been the steadiest (Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 31.3%, Caterpillar (CAT) 40.5%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 28.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ALSN, CAT and HSBC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.