CAT vs RY vs FSS Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Royal Bank Of Canada and Federal Signal Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CAT Caterpillar Inc
$714.23 -12.9% 1M +36.2% 1Y
Market cap
$297.01B
P/E
27.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
3 wins
RY Royal Bank Of Canada
$204.77 +1.9% 1M +37.4% 1Y
Market cap
$290.23B
P/E
17.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$51.37B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
8 wins
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$113.43 -1.4% 1M -9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$7.00B
P/E
24.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.45B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Royal Bank Of Canada leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Royal Bank Of Canada 8, Caterpillar 3, Federal Signal 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCATRYFSSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $297.01B $290.23B $7.00B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.4x 17.7x 24.5x RY
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.7x 16.7x 23.1x RY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% +11.2% +24.0% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 31.9% 11.7% RY
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 49.3% 15.3% RY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x -3.0x 0.8x RY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% CAT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +36.2% +37.4% -9.9% RY
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +28.5%/yr +14.5%/yr +21.5%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.5% 16.5% 35.0% RY
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 76/100 76/100 RY

Percentile Scorecard

CATRYFSS

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

AxisCATRYFSS
Valuation 25 #153 of 203 64 #131 of 361 54 #95 of 203
Growth 70 #58 of 188 69 #54 of 172 94 #13 of 188
Profitability 93 #13 of 184 94 #10 of 149 91 #18 of 184
Financial Health 18 #179 of 217 66 #54 of 158 76 #53 of 217
Shareholder Returns 60 #62 of 153 88 #40 of 338 66 #53 of 153
Overall 53 76 76
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • RY ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • FSS ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATRYFSSSPY
1 month -12.9%+1.9%-1.4% +0.9%
3 months -8.8%-0.8%+1.3% +5.9%
6 months -11.8%+16.9%-6.6% +8.5%
Year to date +24.7%+20.1%+4.5% +13.3%
1 year +36.2%+37.4%-9.9% +12.4%
3 years +199.4%+161.9%+98.1% +88.1%
3 years, per year +44.2%+37.9%+25.6% +23.5%
5 years +250.1%+96.9%+165.0% +68.2%
5 years, per year +28.5%+14.5%+21.5% +11.0%
10 years +751.5%+227.4%+834.3% +263.4%
10 years, per year +23.9%+12.6%+25.0% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCATRYFSSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.5%16.5%35.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.1%15.8%35.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.850.701.28 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.892.27-0.28 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.5%-34.2%-33.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -32.9%-6.0%-15.2% -0.9%
52-week high $1,064.90$217.87$133.73 $779.14
52-week low $524.47$145.41$104.77 $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.

MultipleCATRYFSS
P/E now vs peer median 30.3xmedian 25.4x 17.6xmedian 12.1x 24.2xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 1.9x 5.6xmedian 3.4x 2.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.7xmedian 14.3x 1.0xmedian 5.1x 15.1xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 36.5xmedian 21.8x 5.0xmedian 10.8x 20.4xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 2.2x 2.8xmedian 1.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.33median 1.41 1.22median 1.32 0.85median 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 monthsCATRYFSS
Revenue $74.73B $51.37B $2.45B
Gross profit $25.66B – $714.00M
Operating income $13.09B – $395.40M
Net income $10.84B $16.43B $285.40M
Free cash flow $8.99B $57.35B $339.20M
R&D $2.27B – –
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $11.62 $4.64
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $45.78B $62.80M
Total debt $45.15B $9.69B $453.60M
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 1.41B 61.50M
Enterprise value $268.71B -$539.81B $6.75B

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
MetricCATRYFSS
P/E 30.3x 17.6x 24.2x
P/FCF 36.5x 5.0x 20.4x
P/Operating cash flow 24.2x 5.0x 18.6x
P/S 4.4x 5.6x 2.8x
P/B 16.9x 2.8x 4.6x
P/Tangible book 17.3x 2.9x 6.2x
EV/EBITDA 23.7x 1.0x 15.1x
EV/EBIT 28.0x 1.0x 18.5x
EV/Revenue 4.9x 1.4x 3.0x
EV/FCF 40.8x 1.2x 21.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.0x 1.2x 19.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.33 1.22 0.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATRYFSS
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% 11.2% 24.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 10.3% 16.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% – 24.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% – 22.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% – 27.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% – 28.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% 19.6% 28.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 14.8% 28.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% 19.0% 28.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 14.4% 28.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% -8.3% 45.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 28.0% 59.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% -8.3% 49.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 28.0% 73.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATRYFSS
Gross margin 34.3% – 29.2%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 140.4% 19.8%
Operating margin 17.5% – 16.2%
Pretax margin 18.6% 40.9% 15.2%
Net margin 14.5% 31.9% 11.7%
FCF margin 12.0% 111.6% 13.9%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 111.6% 15.2%
Return on equity 57.0% 15.9% 19.4%
Return on assets 10.9% 0.9% 11.7%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 49.3% 15.3%
Return on capital employed 22.1% – 18.5%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.0x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 3.5x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue – – 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATRYFSS
Debt / assets 44.0% 0.5% 18.6%
Debt / equity 2.3x 0.1x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x -3.0x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 5.0x 0.2x 1.3x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 94.2% 38.2%
Equity / assets 18.9% 5.8% 61.8%
Interest coverage 6.8x 1.4x 19.3x
Current ratio 1.4x – 2.7x
Quick ratio 0.5x – 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.2x – 0.2x
Altman Z-score 4.65 – 7.10

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATRYFSS
Dividend yield 0.9% 3.3% 0.5%
Net buyback yield 2.2% 3.1% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 3.1% 6.4% 0.5%
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.

ConsensusCATRYFSS
Forward P/E 27.7xFY2026 16.7xFY2026 23.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $12.27FY2026 $4.92FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 +19.2%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% +6.9% +10.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $53.04BFY2026 $2.79BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +11.6%FY2026 +28.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% +0.5% -5.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATRYFSS
Held by institutions 72.3% 43.8% 100.0%
Institutions holding 4,058 984 474
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.5% +1.9% +3.9%
Institutions buying 1,889 446 249
Institutions selling 1,595 325 152
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.37 1.64

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.

CATRYFSS
CAT 1.00 0.45 0.52
RY 0.45 1.00 0.38
FSS 0.52 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, RY and FSS?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $297.01B, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) $290.23B, Federal Signal (FSS) $7.00B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, RY and FSS?

Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 27.4x, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 17.7x, Federal Signal (FSS) 24.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 27.7x, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 16.7x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.1x). 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%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) +11.2%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 31.9%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%). On return on invested capital, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 49.3%, Federal Signal (FSS) 15.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +36.2%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) +37.4%, Federal Signal (FSS) -9.9%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +28.5%/yr, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) +14.5%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +21.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 0.00%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.01%. Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.5%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 16.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) 35.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) leads on 8. 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.