CAT vs ALSN vs PCAR Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Allison Transmission Holdings and Paccar Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (CMI) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$553.47 -35.9% 1M -2.8% 1Y
Market cap
$253.27B
P/E
21.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$77.77B
Div. yield
1.13%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
3 wins
PCAR Paccar Inc
$104.50 -4.4% 1M +3.7% 1Y
Market cap
$55.02B
P/E
19.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$29.08B
Div. yield
2.64%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Allison Transmission Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Allison Transmission Holdings 6, Caterpillar 3, Paccar 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCATALSNPCARLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $253.27B $9.56B $55.02B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.5x 16.6x 19.9x ALSN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.5x 15.2x 16.9x ALSN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.3% +70.8% -1.5% ALSN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.2% 11.1% 9.5% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.8% 12.3% -50.7% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.2x 2.8x -0.1x PCAR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.13% 0.98% 2.64% PCAR
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.8% +44.2% +3.7% ALSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +21.9%/yr +26.9%/yr +11.7%/yr ALSN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.1% 32.2% 27.1% PCAR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 62/100 44/100 ALSN

Percentile Scorecard

CATALSNPCAR

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

AxisCATALSNPCAR
Valuation 37 #129 of 204 78 #46 of 204 50 #102 of 204
Growth 73 #52 of 191 69 #60 of 191 17 #159 of 191
Profitability 92 #16 of 189 86 #27 of 189 31 #130 of 189
Financial Health 19 #180 of 221 17 #184 of 221 57 #96 of 221
Shareholder Returns 64 #58 of 159 60 #65 of 159 65 #56 of 159
Overall 57 62 44
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • ALSN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • PCAR ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATALSNPCARSPY
1 month -35.9%+1.4%-4.4% -5.9%
3 months -35.4%+0.1%-20.9% -4.6%
6 months -38.2%-5.4%-8.4% +0.2%
Year to date -3.4%+18.9%-4.6% +7.5%
1 year -2.8%+44.2%+3.7% +8.2%
3 years +132.3%+123.3%+21.0% +68.3%
3 years, per year +32.5%+30.7%+6.6% +19.0%
5 years +168.8%+229.4%+74.2% +56.5%
5 years, per year +21.9%+26.9%+11.7% +9.4%
10 years +572.4%+308.5%+187.5% +251.5%
10 years, per year +21.0%+15.1%+11.1% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureCATALSNPCARSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.1%32.2%27.1% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.3%30.9%24.5% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.771.040.85 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.071.370.14 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -48.0%-34.1%-30.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -48.0%-14.4%-24.4% -5.9%
52-week high $1,064.90$136.00$138.21 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$79.27$94.15 $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.

MultipleCATALSNPCAR
P/E now vs peer median 21.5xmedian 23.4x 16.6xmedian 23.4x 19.9xmedian 23.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 1.7x 1.8xmedian 1.7x 1.9xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.4xmedian 13.4x 10.5xmedian 13.4x -2.9xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.3xmedian 21.9x 11.5xmedian 21.9x 25.4xmedian 21.9x
P/B now vs peer median 11.8xmedian 2.1x 4.6xmedian 2.1x 2.6xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 1.65median 1.02 -26.90median 1.02 -1.59median 1.02

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 monthsCATALSNPCAR
Revenue $77.77B $5.24B $29.08B
Gross profit $27.05B $1.78B $5.86B
Operating income $14.25B $961.00M -$20.02B
Net income $11.83B $583.00M $2.76B
Free cash flow $9.62B $831.00M $2.17B
R&D $2.31B $215.00M $438.50M
EPS (diluted) $25.67 $7.02 $5.23
Cash & equivalents $7.93B $497.00M $6.15B
Total debt $45.20B $4.04B $10.40B
Shares (diluted) 460.90M 83.00M 527.70M
Enterprise value $224.57B $6.86B $17.89B

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
MetricCATALSNPCAR
P/E 21.5x 16.6x 19.9x
P/FCF 26.3x 11.5x 25.4x
P/Operating cash flow 17.9x 9.1x 15.0x
P/S 3.3x 1.8x 1.9x
P/B 11.8x 4.6x 2.6x
P/Tangible book 12.0x 19.2x 2.6x
EV/EBITDA 17.4x 10.5x -2.9x
EV/EBIT 20.4x 13.6x -2.8x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 2.5x 1.9x
EV/FCF 30.2x 15.8x 25.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.5x 12.4x 15.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.65 -26.90 -1.59

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATALSNPCAR
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.3% 70.8% -1.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.3% 20.7% -5.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 18.1% 19.8% -4.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 7.4% -8.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 24.9% 1.8% 1.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 2.7% -10.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 27.6% -16.6% 2.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.1% -3.3% -12.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.3% -15.6% 2.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% -0.6% -12.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 22.9% 31.1% -22.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.9% 11.0% -4.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 27.2% 32.3% -32.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.5% 11.2% -10.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATALSNPCAR
Gross margin 34.8% 33.9% 20.1%
EBITDA margin 21.4% 23.8% -65.9%
Operating margin 18.3% 18.3% -68.8%
Pretax margin 19.3% 14.2% 12.2%
Net margin 15.2% 11.1% 9.5%
FCF margin 12.4% 15.8% 7.4%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 20.1% 12.6%
Return on equity 57.9% 28.7% 13.4%
Return on assets 11.3% 6.7% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 16.8% 12.3% -50.7%
Return on capital employed 22.3% 13.1% -51.1%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.6x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.8x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.6% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATALSNPCAR
Debt / assets 42.3% 45.9% 23.0%
Debt / equity 2.1x 1.9x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.2x 2.8x -0.1x
Debt / FCF 4.7x 4.9x 4.8x
Liabilities / assets 79.9% 76.3% 53.6%
Equity / assets 20.1% 23.7% 46.4%
Interest coverage 7.2x – –
Current ratio 1.4x 1.8x 2.8x
Quick ratio 0.5x 1.0x 2.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.4x 1.7x
Altman Z-score 4.10 2.00 1.44

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATALSNPCAR
Dividend yield 1.1% 1.0% 2.6%
Net buyback yield 3.2% 1.6% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 4.4% 2.6% 2.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 24.1% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 29.7% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.8% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.2% – –

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.

ConsensusCATALSNPCAR
Forward P/E 21.5xFY2026 15.2xFY2026 16.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.73FY2026 $7.65FY2026 $6.19FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.0%FY2026 +4.4%FY2026 +23.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +30.7% +47.3% +17.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $83.62BFY2026 $6.38BFY2026 $26.68BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +23.7%FY2026 +112.0%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.8% +1.4% +22.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATALSNPCAR
Held by institutions 72.3% 100.0% 73.8%
Institutions holding 4,063 568 1,097
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +1.1% +5.8%
Institutions buying 1,892 257 505
Institutions selling 1,597 232 406
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.11 1.24

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.

CATALSNPCAR
CAT 1.00 0.51 0.42
ALSN 0.51 1.00 0.60
PCAR 0.42 0.60 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, ALSN and PCAR?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $253.27B, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) $9.56B, Paccar (PCAR) $55.02B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, ALSN and PCAR?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 21.5x, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 16.6x, Paccar (PCAR) 19.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 21.5x, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 15.2x, Paccar (PCAR) 16.9x). 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) +20.3%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +70.8%, Paccar (PCAR) -1.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.2%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 11.1%, Paccar (PCAR) 9.5%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 16.8%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 12.3%, Paccar (PCAR) -50.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) -2.8%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +44.2%, Paccar (PCAR) +3.7%. Over five years, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +21.9%/yr, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +26.9%/yr, Paccar (PCAR) +11.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Paccar (PCAR) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 1.13%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 0.98%, Paccar (PCAR) 2.64%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Paccar (PCAR) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 41.1%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 32.2%, Paccar (PCAR) 27.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) leads on 6. 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.