CAT vs GATX vs GBX Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Gatx and Greenbrier Companies 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
$271.80B
P/E
25.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
1.06%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
GATX Gatx Corp
$190.77 +10.7% 1M +25.4% 1Y
Market cap
$6.66B
P/E
17.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.21B
Div. yield
1.36%
Rail Equipment Industrials
4 wins
GBX Greenbrier Companies Inc
$44.04 +8.6% 1M +5.6% 1Y
Market cap
$1.37B
P/E
17.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.46B
Div. yield
3.00%
Rail Equipment Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionCATGATXGBXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $271.80B $6.66B $1.37B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.1x 17.4x 17.2x GBX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.9x 20.0x 12.8x GBX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% +29.7% -24.0% GATX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 17.7% 3.2% GATX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 1.7% 3.2% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 11.7x 5.8x CAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.06% 1.36% 3.00% GBX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +8.0% +25.4% +5.6% GATX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +23.5%/yr +12.8%/yr -0.2%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.7% 24.8% 32.8% GATX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 51/100 39/100 CAT

Percentile Scorecard

CATGATXGBX

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

AxisCATGATXGBX
Valuation 33 #137 of 204 44 #115 of 204 61 #81 of 204
Growth 71 #57 of 191 64 #69 of 191 10 #173 of 191
Profitability 93 #14 of 189 61 #75 of 189 26 #141 of 189
Financial Health 17 #183 of 221 3 #214 of 221 14 #191 of 221
Shareholder Returns 63 #60 of 159 85 #24 of 159 87 #21 of 159
Overall 55 51 39
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • GATX ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • GBX ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATGATXGBXSPY
1 month -30.3%+10.7%+8.6% -1.0%
3 months -32.2%+6.3%-11.4% -0.4%
6 months -36.2%-4.4%-12.5% +4.5%
Year to date +3.2%+12.5%-5.8% +12.4%
1 year +8.0%+25.4%+5.6% +13.6%
3 years +145.6%+75.0%+17.5% +76.4%
3 years, per year +34.9%+20.5%+5.5% +20.8%
5 years +187.2%+82.9%-0.8% +63.7%
5 years, per year +23.5%+12.8%-0.2% +10.4%
10 years +618.3%+327.4%+42.3% +267.7%
10 years, per year +21.8%+15.6%+3.6% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureCATGATXGBXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.7%24.8%32.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.5%25.3%34.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.810.560.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.201.020.17 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.5%-32.6%-54.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -44.5%-5.0%-25.2% -1.6%
52-week high $1,064.90$200.76$58.87 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$152.11$37.48 $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.

MultipleCATGATXGBX
P/E now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 25.5x 17.4xmedian 25.5x 17.2xmedian 25.5x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 1.9x 3.0xmedian 1.9x 0.6xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.1xmedian 14.4x 18.5xmedian 14.4x 10.8xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.2xmedian 23.3x -1.5xmedian 23.3x -5.7xmedian 23.3x
P/B now vs peer median 14.0xmedian 2.2x 1.9xmedian 2.2x 0.8xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.93median 1.16 1.00median 1.16 1.66median 1.16

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 monthsCATGATXGBX
Revenue $74.73B $2.21B $2.46B
Gross profit $25.66B – $333.70M
Operating income $13.09B – $143.60M
Net income $10.84B $400.70M $81.60M
Free cash flow $8.99B -$4.47B -$239.70M
R&D $2.27B – –
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $10.92 $2.49
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $390.00M $235.10M
Total debt $45.15B $11.94B $1.84B
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 35.80M 31.77M
Enterprise value $243.49B $4.79B $90.48M

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
MetricCATGATXGBX
P/E 25.1x 17.4x 17.2x
P/FCF 30.2x -1.5x -5.7x
P/Operating cash flow 20.0x 7.7x 34.5x
P/S 3.6x 3.0x 0.6x
P/B 14.0x 1.9x 0.8x
P/Tangible book 14.3x 1.9x 1.0x
EV/EBITDA 20.1x 18.5x 10.8x
EV/EBIT 23.7x 52.0x 20.7x
EV/Revenue 4.2x 8.2x 1.2x
EV/FCF 34.5x -4.1x -12.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 22.9x 21.1x 74.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.93 1.00 1.66

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATGATXGBX
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% 29.7% -24.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 17.4% -14.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% – -45.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% – -8.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% – -60.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% – -6.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% 28.1% -61.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 18.4% 2.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% 25.7% -60.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 17.4% 10.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% 21.7% -85.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 14.1% -17.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% -765.1% -1,531%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% -63.4% 6.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATGATXGBX
Gross margin 34.3% – 13.6%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 44.6% 11.1%
Operating margin 17.5% – 5.8%
Pretax margin 18.6% 15.8% 3.2%
Net margin 14.5% 17.7% 3.2%
FCF margin 12.0% -202.1% -9.7%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 39.1% 1.6%
Return on equity 57.0% 11.1% 4.8%
Return on assets 10.9% 2.3% 1.9%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 1.7% 3.2%
Return on capital employed 22.1% – –
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.1x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 2.2x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue – – 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATGATXGBX
Debt / assets 44.0% 69.1% 41.4%
Debt / equity 2.3x 3.4x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 11.7x 5.8x
Debt / FCF 5.0x -2.7x -7.7x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 79.5% 61.9%
Equity / assets 18.9% 20.5% 38.1%
Interest coverage 6.8x – 2.0x
Current ratio 1.4x – –
Quick ratio 0.5x – –
Cash ratio 0.2x – –
Altman Z-score 4.24 – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATGATXGBX
Dividend yield 1.1% 1.4% 3.0%
Net buyback yield 2.7% 2.7% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 3.7% 4.0% 4.0%
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.

ConsensusCATGATXGBX
Forward P/E 22.9xFY2026 20.0xFY2026 12.8xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $9.52FY2026 $3.44FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026 +32.3%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +25.9% +37.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $2.22BFY2026 $2.82BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +27.4%FY2026 +14.7%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% +17.1% +6.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATGATXGBX
Held by institutions 72.3% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 4,063 414 271
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +2.6% +3.9%
Institutions buying 1,892 180 132
Institutions selling 1,597 142 83
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.27 1.59

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.

CATGATXGBX
CAT 1.00 0.28 0.16
GATX 0.28 1.00 0.57
GBX 0.16 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, GATX and GBX?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $271.80B, Gatx (GATX) $6.66B, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) $1.37B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, GATX and GBX?

Greenbrier Companies (GBX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 25.1x, Gatx (GATX) 17.4x, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 17.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 22.9x, Gatx (GATX) 20.0x, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 12.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Gatx (GATX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Gatx (GATX) +29.7%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -24.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Gatx (GATX) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Gatx (GATX) 17.7%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.2%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Gatx (GATX) 1.7%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Gatx (GATX) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +8.0%, Gatx (GATX) +25.4%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) +5.6%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +23.5%/yr, Gatx (GATX) +12.8%/yr, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -0.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Greenbrier Companies (GBX) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 1.06%, Gatx (GATX) 1.36%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.00%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Gatx (GATX) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.7%, Gatx (GATX) 24.8%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 32.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAT, GATX and GBX?

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.