CAT vs FSS vs HUBB Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Federal Signal and Hubbell Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$714.23 -12.9% 1M +36.2% 1Y
Market cap
$328.33B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.88%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$113.43 -1.4% 1M -9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$6.92B
P/E
24.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.45B
Div. yield
0.52%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
4 wins
HUBB Hubbell Inc
$437.29 -6.1% 1M -4.0% 1Y
Market cap
$23.10B
P/E
25.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.59B
Div. yield
1.30%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Caterpillar leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Caterpillar 5, Federal Signal 4, Hubbell 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCATFSSHUBBLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $328.33B $6.92B $23.10B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 30.3x 24.2x 25.5x FSS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.7x 23.1x 21.8x HUBB
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% +24.0% +16.0% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 11.7% 13.8% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 15.3% 11.3% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 0.8x 3.0x FSS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.88% 0.52% 1.30% HUBB
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +36.2% -9.9% -4.0% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +28.5%/yr +21.5%/yr +17.0%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.5% 35.0% 32.2% HUBB
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 76/100 56/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

CATFSSHUBB

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

AxisCATFSSHUBB
Valuation 25 #153 of 203 54 #95 of 203 38 #127 of 203
Growth 70 #58 of 188 94 #13 of 188 72 #53 of 188
Profitability 93 #13 of 184 91 #18 of 184 86 #27 of 184
Financial Health 18 #179 of 217 76 #53 of 217 15 #184 of 217
Shareholder Returns 60 #62 of 153 66 #53 of 153 70 #46 of 153
Overall 53 76 56
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • FSS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • HUBB ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATFSSHUBBSPY
1 month -12.9%-1.4%-6.1% +0.9%
3 months -8.8%+1.3%-5.1% +5.9%
6 months -11.8%-6.6%-19.9% +8.5%
Year to date +24.7%+4.5%-1.5% +13.3%
1 year +36.2%-9.9%-4.0% +12.4%
3 years +199.4%+98.1%+55.6% +88.1%
3 years, per year +44.2%+25.6%+15.9% +23.5%
5 years +250.1%+165.0%+119.3% +68.2%
5 years, per year +28.5%+21.5%+17.0% +11.0%
10 years +751.5%+834.3%+318.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year +23.9%+25.0%+15.4% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCATFSSHUBBSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.5%35.0%32.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.1%35.9%35.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.851.281.19 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.89-0.28-0.12 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.5%-33.3%-33.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -32.9%-15.2%-21.6% -0.9%
52-week high $1,064.90$133.73$557.85 $779.14
52-week low $524.47$104.77$407.36 $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.

MultipleCATFSSHUBB
P/E now vs peer median 30.3xmedian 25.4x 24.2xmedian 25.4x 25.5xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 1.9x 2.8xmedian 1.9x 3.5xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.7xmedian 14.3x 15.1xmedian 14.3x 17.3xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 36.5xmedian 21.8x 20.4xmedian 21.8x 24.9xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 2.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x 5.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.33median 1.41 0.85median 1.41 2.53median 1.41

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 monthsCATFSSHUBB
Revenue $74.73B $2.45B $6.59B
Gross profit $25.66B $714.00M $2.33B
Operating income $13.09B $395.40M $1.33B
Net income $10.84B $285.40M $915.00M
Free cash flow $8.99B $339.20M $928.00M
R&D $2.27B – –
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $4.64 $17.12
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $62.80M $334.50M
Total debt $45.15B $453.60M $5.12B
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 61.50M 53.10M
Enterprise value $300.03B $6.67B $21.35B

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
MetricCATFSSHUBB
P/E 30.3x 24.2x 25.5x
P/FCF 36.5x 20.4x 24.9x
P/Operating cash flow 24.2x 18.6x 20.9x
P/S 4.4x 2.8x 3.5x
P/B 16.9x 4.6x 5.6x
P/Tangible book 17.3x 6.2x 23.7x
EV/EBITDA 23.7x 15.1x 17.3x
EV/EBIT 28.0x 18.5x 20.9x
EV/Revenue 4.9x 3.0x 4.2x
EV/FCF 40.8x 21.6x 30.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.0x 19.6x 25.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.33 0.85 2.53

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATFSSHUBB
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% 24.0% 16.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 16.1% 7.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 24.5% 17.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 22.1% 9.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% 27.8% 15.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% 28.8% 10.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% 28.8% 5.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 28.6% 9.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% 28.4% 6.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 28.6% 10.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% 45.6% 9.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 59.2% 12.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% 49.8% 9.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 73.3% 14.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATFSSHUBB
Gross margin 34.3% 29.2% 35.4%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 19.8% 24.5%
Operating margin 17.5% 16.2% 20.2%
Pretax margin 18.6% 15.2% 17.7%
Net margin 14.5% 11.7% 13.8%
FCF margin 12.0% 13.9% 14.1%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 15.2% 16.8%
Return on equity 57.0% 19.4% 22.8%
Return on assets 10.9% 11.7% 7.7%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 15.3% 11.3%
Return on capital employed 22.1% 18.5% 13.5%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.3x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.6% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATFSSHUBB
Debt / assets 44.0% 18.6% 43.0%
Debt / equity 2.3x 0.3x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 0.8x 3.0x
Debt / FCF 5.0x 1.3x 5.5x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 38.2% 65.4%
Equity / assets 18.9% 61.8% 34.6%
Interest coverage 6.8x 19.3x –
Current ratio 1.4x 2.7x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.5x 1.1x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 4.65 7.10 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATFSSHUBB
Dividend yield 0.9% 0.5% 1.3%
Net buyback yield 2.2% 0.0% 0.9%
Shareholder yield 3.1% 0.5% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 25.9% 12.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 31.3% 10.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.2% 13.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 17.0% –

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.

ConsensusCATFSSHUBB
Forward P/E 27.7xFY2026 23.1xFY2026 21.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $4.92FY2026 $20.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +10.0% +21.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $2.79BFY2026 $7.32BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +28.1%FY2026 +25.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% -5.3% +9.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATFSSHUBB
Held by institutions 72.3% 100.0% 96.1%
Institutions holding 4,058 474 1,015
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.5% +3.9% -0.4%
Institutions buying 1,889 249 511
Institutions selling 1,595 152 318
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.64 1.61

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.

CATFSSHUBB
CAT 1.00 0.50 0.61
FSS 0.50 1.00 0.40
HUBB 0.61 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, FSS and HUBB?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $328.33B, Federal Signal (FSS) $6.92B, Hubbell (HUBB) $23.10B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, FSS and HUBB?

Federal Signal (FSS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 30.3x, Federal Signal (FSS) 24.2x, Hubbell (HUBB) 25.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Hubbell (HUBB) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 27.7x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.1x, Hubbell (HUBB) 21.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Federal Signal (FSS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%, Hubbell (HUBB) +16.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%, Hubbell (HUBB) 13.8%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Federal Signal (FSS) 15.3%, Hubbell (HUBB) 11.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +36.2%, Federal Signal (FSS) -9.9%, Hubbell (HUBB) -4.0%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +28.5%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +21.5%/yr, Hubbell (HUBB) +17.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Hubbell (HUBB) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 0.88%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.52%, Hubbell (HUBB) 1.30%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Hubbell (HUBB) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 35.0%, Hubbell (HUBB) 32.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAT, FSS and HUBB?

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.