CAT vs FSS vs TSLA Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Federal Signal and Tesla Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CAT Caterpillar Inc
$591.25 -30.3% 1M +8.0% 1Y
Market cap
$255.56B
P/E
23.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$117.93 +1.2% 1M +3.8% 1Y
Market cap
$6.84B
P/E
23.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.55B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
TSLA Tesla, Inc.
$385.19 +1.7% 1M -13.3% 1Y
Market cap
$1.11T
P/E
345.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$103.57B
Div. yield
–
Auto Manufacturers Consumer Discretionary
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionCATFSSTSLALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $255.56B $6.84B $1.11T TSLA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 23.6x 23.0x 345.8x FSS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.9x 24.0x 239.2x CAT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% +24.0% +8.3% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 11.7% 3.1% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 16.0% 2.7% FSS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 0.7x -3.5x TSLA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.01% 0.00% CAT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +8.0% +3.8% -13.3% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +23.5%/yr +20.6%/yr -1.1%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.7% 33.2% 45.1% FSS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 78/100 48/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

CATFSSTSLA

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

AxisCATFSSTSLA
Valuation 33 #137 of 204 58 #86 of 204 19 #40 of 49
Growth 71 #57 of 191 94 #13 of 191 40 #30 of 49
Profitability 93 #14 of 189 90 #20 of 189 76 #12 of 47
Financial Health 17 #183 of 221 78 #49 of 221 92 #5 of 53
Shareholder Returns 63 #60 of 159 69 #50 of 159 14 #26 of 30
Overall 55 78 48
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • FSS ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • TSLA ranked among 55 companies in Automobiles and Components

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATFSSTSLASPY
1 month -30.3%+1.2%+1.7% -1.0%
3 months -32.2%-9.5%+19.8% -0.4%
6 months -36.2%-5.4%-3.4% +4.5%
Year to date +3.2%+8.6%-14.3% +12.4%
1 year +8.0%+3.8%-13.3% +13.6%
3 years +145.6%+83.3%+75.1% +76.4%
3 years, per year +34.9%+22.4%+20.5% +20.8%
5 years +187.2%+154.7%-5.4% +63.7%
5 years, per year +23.5%+20.6%-1.1% +10.4%
10 years +618.3%+858.8%+2,933.0% +267.7%
10 years, per year +21.8%+25.4%+40.7% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureCATFSSTSLASPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.7%33.2%45.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.5%32.2%46.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.811.182.11 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.200.11-0.29 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.5%-33.3%-73.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -44.5%-11.8%-21.4% -1.6%
52-week high $1,064.90$133.73$489.88 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$104.77$298.32 $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.

MultipleCATFSSTSLA
P/E now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 25.5x 24.2xmedian 25.5x 387.8xmedian 21.1x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 1.9x 2.8xmedian 1.9x 12.0xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.1xmedian 14.4x 14.8xmedian 14.4x 119.2xmedian 9.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.2xmedian 23.3x 19.7xmedian 23.3x 377.8xmedian 8.8x
P/B now vs peer median 14.0xmedian 2.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x 13.9xmedian 1.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.93median 1.16 0.91median 1.16 -11.60median 1.08

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 monthsCATFSSTSLA
Revenue $74.73B $2.55B $103.57B
Gross profit $25.66B $741.70M $19.97B
Operating income $13.09B $412.80M $3.47B
Net income $10.84B $296.90M $3.28B
Free cash flow $8.99B $365.10M $3.30B
R&D $2.27B – $8.86B
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $4.83 $0.91
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $73.70M $17.85B
Total debt $45.15B $420.30M $9.52B
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 61.50M 3.54B
Enterprise value $227.26B $6.57B $935.02B

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
MetricCATFSSTSLA
P/E 25.1x 24.2x 387.8x
P/FCF 30.2x 19.7x 377.8x
P/Operating cash flow 20.0x 17.9x 66.7x
P/S 3.6x 2.8x 12.0x
P/B 14.0x 4.6x 13.9x
P/Tangible book 14.3x 6.0x 14.0x
EV/EBITDA 20.1x 14.8x 119.2x
EV/EBIT 23.7x 18.3x 349.7x
EV/Revenue 4.2x 3.0x 11.7x
EV/FCF 34.5x 20.7x 367.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 22.9x 18.7x 64.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.93 0.91 -11.60

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATFSSTSLA
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% 24.0% 8.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 15.2% 2.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 24.8% 22.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 20.2% 1.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% 26.0% -23.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% 25.7% -31.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% 25.9% -36.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 26.8% -32.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% 25.7% -36.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 26.7% -33.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% 62.4% 18.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 45.6% 15.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% 66.2% -51.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 53.2% -3.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATFSSTSLA
Gross margin 34.3% 29.1% 19.3%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 19.9% 9.8%
Operating margin 17.5% 16.2% 3.3%
Pretax margin 18.6% 15.2% 4.1%
Net margin 14.5% 11.7% 3.1%
FCF margin 12.0% 14.3% 3.2%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 15.8% 18.1%
Return on equity 57.0% 19.2% 3.7%
Return on assets 10.9% 12.1% 2.1%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 16.0% 2.7%
Return on capital employed 22.1% 19.2% 3.1%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.4x 5.7x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.6% 4.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATFSSTSLA
Debt / assets 44.0% 17.1% 6.0%
Debt / equity 2.3x 0.3x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 0.7x -3.5x
Debt / FCF 5.0x 1.2x 2.9x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 35.7% 43.0%
Equity / assets 18.9% 64.3% 57.0%
Interest coverage 6.8x 17.9x 10.0x
Current ratio 1.4x 3.0x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.5x 1.3x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 1.1x
Altman Z-score 4.24 7.67 12.39

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATFSSTSLA
Dividend yield 1.1% 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 2.7% 0.0% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 3.7% 0.5% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 25.9% 12.1% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 31.3% 9.9% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.2% 9.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 15.9% –

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.

ConsensusCATFSSTSLA
Forward P/E 22.9xFY2026 24.0xFY2026 239.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $4.92FY2026 $1.61FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 -3.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +10.0% +32.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $2.79BFY2026 $112.97BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +28.1%FY2026 +19.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% -5.3% +15.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATFSSTSLA
Held by institutions 72.3% 100.0% 42.6%
Institutions holding 4,063 476 4,268
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +3.9% +7.4%
Institutions buying 1,892 251 2,376
Institutions selling 1,597 152 1,360
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.65 1.75

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.

CATFSSTSLA
CAT 1.00 0.49 0.35
FSS 0.49 1.00 0.22
TSLA 0.35 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, FSS and TSLA?

Tesla (TSLA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $255.56B, Federal Signal (FSS) $6.84B, Tesla (TSLA) $1.11T.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, FSS and TSLA?

Federal Signal (FSS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 23.6x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.0x, Tesla (TSLA) 345.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Caterpillar (CAT) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 22.9x, Federal Signal (FSS) 24.0x, Tesla (TSLA) 239.2x). 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%, Tesla (TSLA) +8.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%, Tesla (TSLA) 3.1%). On return on invested capital, Federal Signal (FSS) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Federal Signal (FSS) 16.0%, Tesla (TSLA) 2.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +8.0%, Federal Signal (FSS) +3.8%, Tesla (TSLA) -13.3%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +23.5%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +20.6%/yr, Tesla (TSLA) -1.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.01%, Tesla (TSLA) 0.00%. Tesla (TSLA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Federal Signal (FSS) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.7%, Federal Signal (FSS) 33.2%, Tesla (TSLA) 45.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Federal Signal (FSS) 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.