CAT vs ALSN vs CMI Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Allison Transmission Holdings and Cummins Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CAT Caterpillar Inc
$686.82 -15.5% 1M +32.0% 1Y
Market cap
$318.29B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
CMI Cummins Inc
$517.26 -1.5% 1M +23.8% 1Y
Market cap
$71.88B
P/E
26.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$34.71B
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Caterpillar leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Caterpillar 5, Allison Transmission Holdings 4, Cummins 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCATALSNCMILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $318.29B $8.90B $71.88B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.4x 16.8x 26.5x ALSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.6x 13.9x 16.5x ALSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% +37.6% +2.9% ALSN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 12.0% 7.8% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 10.7% 13.6% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 3.4x 0.7x CMI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +32.0% +27.8% +23.8% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +27.9%/yr +25.2%/yr +16.5%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.4% 31.4% 37.1% ALSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 57/100 59/100 CMI

Percentile Scorecard

CATALSNCMI

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

AxisCATALSNCMI
Valuation 22 #159 of 203 74 #54 of 203 51 #101 of 203
Growth 68 #61 of 188 43 #108 of 188 54 #88 of 188
Profitability 91 #17 of 187 88 #24 of 187 70 #56 of 187
Financial Health 16 #186 of 222 14 #192 of 222 50 #111 of 222
Shareholder Returns 53 #72 of 153 66 #52 of 153 71 #45 of 153
Overall 50 57 59
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ALSN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CMI ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATALSNCMISPY
1 month -15.5%-7.2%-1.5% -1.0%
3 months -22.7%-13.1%-22.1% +2.9%
6 months -17.3%-21.5%-21.7% +6.4%
Year to date +19.9%+8.6%+1.3% +11.4%
1 year +32.0%+27.8%+23.8% +13.1%
3 years +175.2%+85.2%+136.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +40.2%+22.8%+33.2% +21.5%
5 years +242.3%+207.7%+114.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +27.9%+25.2%+16.5% +10.9%
10 years +695.6%+286.6%+308.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year +23.0%+14.5%+15.1% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCATALSNCMISPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.4%31.4%37.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.9%30.1%37.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.831.041.62 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.790.890.64 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.5%-34.1%-30.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -35.5%-21.8%-28.9% -2.5%
52-week high $1,064.90$136.00$727.59 $779.14
52-week low $520.50$79.27$414.30 $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.

MultipleCATALSNCMI
P/E now vs peer median 29.2xmedian 25.9x 16.7xmedian 25.9x 26.3xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 4.2xmedian 1.9x 2.0xmedian 1.9x 2.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 22.9xmedian 13.7x 11.3xmedian 13.7x 14.9xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 35.1xmedian 21.1x 11.9xmedian 21.1x 21.1xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 16.3xmedian 2.3x 4.4xmedian 2.3x 5.1xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 2.24median 1.19 -5.86median 1.19 8.19median 1.19

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 monthsCATALSNCMI
Revenue $74.73B $4.40B $34.71B
Gross profit $25.66B $1.60B $8.79B
Operating income $13.09B $861.00M $3.89B
Net income $10.84B $529.00M $2.83B
Free cash flow $8.99B $737.00M $3.37B
R&D $2.27B $197.00M $1.44B
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $6.30 $19.60
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $399.00M $3.18B
Total debt $173.08B $4.14B $29.22B
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 84.00M 138.50M
Enterprise value $289.99B $5.79B $67.96B

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
MetricCATALSNCMI
P/E 29.2x 16.7x 26.3x
P/FCF 35.1x 11.9x 21.1x
P/Operating cash flow 23.3x 9.4x 15.3x
P/S 4.2x 2.0x 2.1x
P/B 16.3x 4.4x 5.1x
P/Tangible book 16.6x 23.6x 6.1x
EV/EBITDA 22.9x 11.3x 14.9x
EV/EBIT 27.1x 14.5x 19.2x
EV/Revenue 4.7x 2.8x 2.2x
EV/FCF 39.4x 17.0x 22.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.1x 13.3x 16.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.24 -5.86 8.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATALSNCMI
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% 37.6% 2.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 14.2% 2.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 3.5% 1.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 4.4% 4.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% -13.9% -6.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% -0.2% 4.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% -30.6% -7.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% -5.4% 2.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% -29.8% -7.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% -2.8% 3.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% 14.2% 63.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 7.1% 28.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% 12.7% 103.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 6.8% 45.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATALSNCMI
Gross margin 34.3% 36.4% 25.3%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 25.1% 14.4%
Operating margin 17.5% 19.6% 11.2%
Pretax margin 18.6% 15.7% 11.1%
Net margin 14.5% 12.0% 7.8%
FCF margin 12.0% 16.7% 9.7%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 21.3% 13.4%
Return on equity 57.0% 27.3% 20.7%
Return on assets 10.9% 6.1% 8.1%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 10.7% 13.6%
Return on capital employed 22.1% 11.7% 16.0%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.8x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.7% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATALSNCMI
Debt / assets 44.0% 47.5% 20.6%
Debt / equity 2.3x 2.1x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 3.4x 0.7x
Debt / FCF 5.0x 5.6x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 77.3% 61.0%
Equity / assets 18.9% 22.7% 39.0%
Interest coverage 6.8x – 12.1x
Current ratio 1.4x 1.8x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.5x 1.0x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 4.55 1.78 4.49

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATALSNCMI
Dividend yield 0.7% 1.1% 1.6%
Net buyback yield 2.3% 1.4% 0.7%
Shareholder yield 3.0% 2.5% 2.2%
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.

ConsensusCATALSNCMI
Forward P/E 26.6xFY2026 13.9xFY2026 16.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $7.67FY2026 $31.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +4.6%FY2026 +31.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +45.5% +14.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $6.32BFY2026 $35.36BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +109.9%FY2026 +5.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% +1.4% +11.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATALSNCMI
Held by institutions 72.3% 100.0% 85.4%
Institutions holding 4,055 566 2,105
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.5% +1.1% +1.0%
Institutions buying 1,886 258 1,048
Institutions selling 1,595 229 728
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.13 1.44

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.

CATALSNCMI
CAT 1.00 0.52 0.78
ALSN 0.52 1.00 0.49
CMI 0.78 0.49 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, ALSN and CMI?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $318.29B, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) $8.90B, Cummins (CMI) $71.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, ALSN and CMI?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 29.4x, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 16.8x, Cummins (CMI) 26.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 26.6x, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 13.9x, Cummins (CMI) 16.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +37.6%, Cummins (CMI) +2.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 12.0%, Cummins (CMI) 7.8%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 10.7%, Cummins (CMI) 13.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +32.0%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +27.8%, Cummins (CMI) +23.8%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +27.9%/yr, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +25.2%/yr, Cummins (CMI) +16.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 0.00%, Cummins (CMI) 0.00%. Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) and Cummins (CMI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.4%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 31.4%, Cummins (CMI) 37.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Caterpillar (CAT) leads on 5. 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.