CAT vs GBX vs POWL Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Greenbrier Companies and Powell Industries Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CAT Caterpillar Inc
$613.45 -27.4% 1M +6.3% 1Y
Market cap
$282.00B
P/E
26.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
1.02%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
4 wins
GBX Greenbrier Companies Inc
$42.22 +4.0% 1M +1.1% 1Y
Market cap
$1.31B
P/E
16.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.46B
Div. yield
3.13%
Rail Equipment Industrials
4 wins
POWL Powell Industries Inc
$154.01 -21.5% 1M +20.5% 1Y
Market cap
$5.61B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.16B
Div. yield
0.19%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionCATGBXPOWLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $282.00B $1.31B $5.61B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.0x 16.5x 29.4x GBX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.8x 12.3x 29.8x GBX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% -24.0% +7.0% CAT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 3.2% 16.5% POWL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 3.2% — CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 5.8x — CAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.02% 3.13% 0.19% GBX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.3% +1.1% +20.5% POWL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +24.7%/yr -0.4%/yr +76.5%/yr POWL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.6% 32.3% 64.1% GBX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 39/100 71/100 POWL

Percentile Scorecard

CATGBXPOWL

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

AxisCATGBXPOWL
Valuation 31 #141 of 203 61 #79 of 203 45 #112 of 203
Growth 70 #58 of 189 10 #171 of 189 91 #18 of 189
Profitability 92 #16 of 187 26 #139 of 187 97 #6 of 187
Financial Health 17 #184 of 221 13 #193 of 221 76 #55 of 221
Shareholder Returns 62 #59 of 152 87 #20 of 152 45 #84 of 152
Overall 54 39 71
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • GBX ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • POWL ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATGBXPOWLSPY
1 month -27.4%+4.0%-21.5% -2.3%
3 months -26.2%-15.1%-29.9% -0.7%
6 months -29.9%-14.1%-42.9% +4.8%
Year to date +7.1%-9.7%+44.9% +10.3%
1 year +6.3%+1.1%+20.5% +10.3%
3 years +154.8%+12.7%+476.9% +73.0%
3 years, per year +36.6%+4.1%+79.4% +20.1%
5 years +201.4%-2.2%+1,609.3% +61.9%
5 years, per year +24.7%-0.4%+76.5% +10.1%
10 years +656.3%+40.3%+1,214.4% +258.6%
10 years, per year +22.4%+3.4%+29.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCATGBXPOWLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.6%32.3%64.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.1%34.4%67.5% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.910.352.50 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.150.030.32 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.4%-54.6%-55.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -42.4%-28.3%-52.2% -3.5%
52-week high $1,064.90$58.87$322.05 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$37.48$94.02 $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.

MultipleCATGBXPOWL
P/E now vs peer median 26.0xmedian 25.6x 16.5xmedian 25.6x 29.4xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 1.9x 0.5xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.7xmedian 14.4x 10.6xmedian 14.4x 21.1xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.4xmedian 22.5x -5.5xmedian 22.5x 23.0xmedian 22.5x
P/B now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 2.2x 0.8xmedian 2.2x 7.4xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.00median 1.36 1.59median 1.36 0.40median 1.36

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 monthsCATGBXPOWL
Revenue $74.73B $2.46B $1.16B
Gross profit $25.66B $333.70M $348.18M
Operating income $13.09B $143.60M $227.67M
Net income $10.84B $81.60M $190.86M
Free cash flow $8.99B -$239.70M $243.96M
R&D $2.27B – $14.98M
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $2.49 $5.21
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $235.10M $633.56M
Total debt $45.15B $1.84B –
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 31.77M 36.60M
Enterprise value $253.70B $34.06M $3.46B

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
MetricCATGBXPOWL
P/E 26.0x 16.5x 29.4x
P/FCF 31.4x -5.5x 23.0x
P/Operating cash flow 20.8x 33.0x 21.9x
P/S 3.8x 0.5x 4.8x
P/B 14.5x 0.8x 7.4x
P/Tangible book 14.9x 0.9x 7.5x
EV/EBITDA 20.7x 10.6x 21.1x
EV/EBIT 24.5x 20.3x 21.9x
EV/Revenue 4.3x 1.2x 4.3x
EV/FCF 35.6x -12.1x 20.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 23.6x 73.5x 19.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.00 1.59 0.40

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATGBXPOWL
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% -24.0% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% -14.5% 21.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% -45.1% 11.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% -8.9% 39.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% -60.1% 8.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% -6.6% 74.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% -61.7% 8.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 2.6% 73.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% -60.8% 8.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 10.4% 72.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% -85.1% 153.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% -17.8% 25.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% -1,531% 201.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 6.2% 25.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATGBXPOWL
Gross margin 34.3% 13.6% 30.1%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 11.1% 20.4%
Operating margin 17.5% 5.8% 19.7%
Pretax margin 18.6% 3.2% 21.2%
Net margin 14.5% 3.2% 16.5%
FCF margin 12.0% -9.7% 21.1%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 1.6% 22.1%
Return on equity 57.0% 4.8% 26.1%
Return on assets 10.9% 1.9% 14.8%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 3.2% –
Return on capital employed 22.1% – 34.0%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.6x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 0.5x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.6% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATGBXPOWL
Debt / assets 44.0% 41.4% –
Debt / equity 2.3x 1.1x –
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 5.8x –
Debt / FCF 5.0x -7.7x –
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 61.9% 46.2%
Equity / assets 18.9% 38.1% 53.8%
Interest coverage 6.8x 2.0x –
Current ratio 1.4x – 2.0x
Quick ratio 0.5x – 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x – 1.0x
Altman Z-score 4.31 – 7.81

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATGBXPOWL
Dividend yield 1.0% 3.1% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 1.0% –
Shareholder yield 3.6% 4.2% 0.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 25.9% – 6.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) 31.3% – 5.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.2% – 1.6%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.1% – 1.8%

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.

ConsensusCATGBXPOWL
Forward P/E 23.8xFY2026 12.3xFY2027 29.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $3.44FY2027 $5.17FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +32.3%FY2027 +4.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +37.5% +26.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $2.82BFY2027 $1.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +14.7%FY2027 +12.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% +6.5% +26.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATGBXPOWL
Held by institutions 72.3% 100.0% 75.0%
Institutions holding 4,060 271 583
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.5% +3.9% -4.3%
Institutions buying 1,890 132 320
Institutions selling 1,596 83 215
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.59 1.49

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.

CATGBXPOWL
CAT 1.00 0.20 0.67
GBX 0.20 1.00 0.15
POWL 0.67 0.15 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, GBX and POWL?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $282.00B, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) $1.31B, Powell Industries (POWL) $5.61B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, GBX and POWL?

Greenbrier Companies (GBX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 26.0x, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 16.5x, Powell Industries (POWL) 29.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 23.8x, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 12.3x, Powell Industries (POWL) 29.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Caterpillar (CAT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -24.0%, Powell Industries (POWL) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Powell Industries (POWL) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.2%, Powell Industries (POWL) 16.5%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Powell Industries (POWL) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +6.3%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) +1.1%, Powell Industries (POWL) +20.5%. Over five years, Powell Industries (POWL) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +24.7%/yr, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -0.4%/yr, Powell Industries (POWL) +76.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Greenbrier Companies (GBX) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 1.02%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.13%, Powell Industries (POWL) 0.19%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.6%, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 32.3%, Powell Industries (POWL) 64.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 4. 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.