CAT vs PCAR vs TSLA Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Paccar and Tesla Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CAT Caterpillar Inc
$623.86 -26.2% 1M +9.3% 1Y
Market cap
$271.70B
P/E
25.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
6 wins
PCAR Paccar Inc
$102.03 -7.0% 1M +4.7% 1Y
Market cap
$55.92B
P/E
20.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$29.08B
Div. yield
–
Heavy Equipment Industrials
3 wins
TSLA Tesla, Inc.
$398.50 +7.5% 1M -14.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.25T
P/E
388.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$103.57B
Div. yield
–
Auto Manufacturers Consumer Discretionary
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Caterpillar leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Caterpillar 6, Paccar 3, Tesla 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCATPCARTSLALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $271.70B $55.92B $1.25T TSLA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.1x 20.2x 388.4x PCAR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 24.2x 16.4x 247.5x PCAR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% -1.5% +8.3% CAT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 9.5% 3.1% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% -50.7% 2.7% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x -0.1x -3.5x TSLA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +9.3% +4.7% -14.9% CAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.1%/yr +11.3%/yr -0.6%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.6% 27.0% 45.3% PCAR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 45/100 49/100 CAT

Percentile Scorecard

CATPCARTSLA

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

AxisCATPCARTSLA
Valuation 32 #140 of 204 55 #93 of 204 21 #39 of 49
Growth 70 #58 of 191 17 #159 of 191 40 #30 of 49
Profitability 93 #14 of 189 31 #131 of 189 76 #12 of 47
Financial Health 17 #183 of 221 57 #96 of 221 92 #5 of 53
Shareholder Returns 61 #63 of 158 67 #53 of 158 17 #25 of 30
Overall 54 45 49
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • PCAR 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

PeriodCATPCARTSLASPY
1 month -26.2%-7.0%+7.5% -2.0%
3 months -28.8%-25.0%+21.7% -2.2%
6 months -31.0%-10.0%+2.3% +4.2%
Year to date +8.9%-6.8%-11.4% +10.6%
1 year +9.3%+4.7%-14.9% +10.4%
3 years +159.1%+17.5%+81.2% +73.6%
3 years, per year +37.4%+5.5%+21.9% +20.2%
5 years +206.4%+70.8%-2.8% +61.6%
5 years, per year +25.1%+11.3%-0.6% +10.1%
10 years +667.6%+182.7%+3,090.6% +261.3%
10 years, per year +22.6%+11.0%+41.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCATPCARTSLASPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.6%27.0%45.3% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.1%24.4%47.0% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.910.892.19 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.230.17-0.33 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.4%-30.6%-73.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -41.4%-26.2%-18.7% -3.2%
52-week high $1,064.90$138.21$489.88 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$94.15$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.

MultipleCATPCARTSLA
P/E now vs peer median 26.5xmedian 25.4x 19.5xmedian 25.4x 401.2xmedian 20.7x
P/S now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 1.9x 1.8xmedian 1.9x 12.5xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.0xmedian 14.5x -2.9xmedian 14.5x 123.4xmedian 8.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.9xmedian 23.6x 24.8xmedian 23.6x 390.9xmedian 8.5x
P/B now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 2.2x 2.6xmedian 2.2x 14.4xmedian 1.0x
PEG now vs peer median 2.03median 1.21 -1.56median 1.21 -12.01median 1.06

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 monthsCATPCARTSLA
Revenue $74.73B $29.08B $103.57B
Gross profit $25.66B $5.86B $19.97B
Operating income $13.09B -$20.02B $3.47B
Net income $10.84B $2.76B $3.28B
Free cash flow $8.99B $2.17B $3.30B
R&D $2.27B $438.50M $8.86B
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $5.23 $0.91
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $6.15B $17.85B
Total debt $45.15B $10.40B $9.52B
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 527.70M 3.54B
Enterprise value $243.40B $18.79B $1.07T

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
MetricCATPCARTSLA
P/E 26.5x 19.5x 401.2x
P/FCF 31.9x 24.8x 390.9x
P/Operating cash flow 21.1x 14.7x 69.0x
P/S 3.8x 1.8x 12.5x
P/B 14.8x 2.6x 14.4x
P/Tangible book 15.1x 2.6x 14.5x
EV/EBITDA 21.0x -2.9x 123.4x
EV/EBIT 24.8x -2.7x 362.2x
EV/Revenue 4.4x 1.9x 12.1x
EV/FCF 36.2x 25.3x 380.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.0x 14.9x 67.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.03 -1.56 -12.01

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATPCARTSLA
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% -1.5% 8.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% -5.2% 2.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% -4.0% 22.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% -8.7% 1.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% 1.5% -23.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% -10.2% -31.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% 2.6% -36.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% -12.4% -32.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% 2.4% -36.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% -12.5% -33.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% -22.3% 18.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% -4.8% 15.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% -32.2% -51.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% -10.7% -3.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATPCARTSLA
Gross margin 34.3% 20.1% 19.3%
EBITDA margin 20.7% -65.9% 9.8%
Operating margin 17.5% -68.8% 3.3%
Pretax margin 18.6% 12.2% 4.1%
Net margin 14.5% 9.5% 3.1%
FCF margin 12.0% 7.4% 3.2%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 12.6% 18.1%
Return on equity 57.0% 13.4% 3.7%
Return on assets 10.9% 6.2% 2.1%
Return on invested capital 15.9% -50.7% 2.7%
Return on capital employed 22.1% -51.1% 3.1%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.7x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.3x 5.7x
Stock comp / revenue – – 4.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATPCARTSLA
Debt / assets 44.0% 23.0% 6.0%
Debt / equity 2.3x 0.5x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x -0.1x -3.5x
Debt / FCF 5.0x 4.8x 2.9x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 53.6% 43.0%
Equity / assets 18.9% 46.4% 57.0%
Interest coverage 6.8x – 10.0x
Current ratio 1.4x 2.8x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.5x 2.2x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 1.7x 1.1x
Altman Z-score 4.35 1.41 12.77

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATPCARTSLA
Dividend yield 1.0% 2.7% –
Net buyback yield 2.5% -0.1% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 3.6% 2.6% -0.1%
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.

ConsensusCATPCARTSLA
Forward P/E 24.2xFY2026 16.4xFY2026 247.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $6.23FY2026 $1.61FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +24.4%FY2026 -3.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +20.2% +32.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $26.76BFY2026 $112.97BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026 +19.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% +23.1% +15.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATPCARTSLA
Held by institutions 72.3% 73.8% 42.6%
Institutions holding 4,062 1,097 4,268
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +5.8% +7.4%
Institutions buying 1,891 505 2,376
Institutions selling 1,597 406 1,360
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.24 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.

CATPCARTSLA
CAT 1.00 0.44 0.34
PCAR 0.44 1.00 0.19
TSLA 0.34 0.19 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, PCAR and TSLA?

Tesla (TSLA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $271.70B, Paccar (PCAR) $55.92B, Tesla (TSLA) $1.25T.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, PCAR and TSLA?

Paccar (PCAR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 25.1x, Paccar (PCAR) 20.2x, Tesla (TSLA) 388.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Paccar (PCAR) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 24.2x, Paccar (PCAR) 16.4x, Tesla (TSLA) 247.5x). 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%, Paccar (PCAR) -1.5%, Tesla (TSLA) +8.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Paccar (PCAR) 9.5%, Tesla (TSLA) 3.1%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Paccar (PCAR) -50.7%, Tesla (TSLA) 2.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Caterpillar (CAT) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +9.3%, Paccar (PCAR) +4.7%, Tesla (TSLA) -14.9%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +25.1%/yr, Paccar (PCAR) +11.3%/yr, Tesla (TSLA) -0.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Paccar (PCAR) 0.00%, Tesla (TSLA) 0.00%. Paccar (PCAR) and Tesla (TSLA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Paccar (PCAR) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.6%, Paccar (PCAR) 27.0%, Tesla (TSLA) 45.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAT, PCAR 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, Caterpillar (CAT) 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.