CAT vs TRN vs ALSN Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Trinity Industries and Allison Transmission Holdings 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
3 wins
TRN Trinity Industries Inc
$30.49 +16.7% 1M +11.4% 1Y
Market cap
$2.38B
P/E
7.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.12B
Div. yield
4.07%
Rail Equipment Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionCATTRNALSNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $282.00B $2.38B $9.34B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.0x 7.4x 17.7x TRN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.8x 14.7x 14.7x TRN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.4% -2.4% +37.6% ALSN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 15.4% 12.0% TRN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 8.5% 10.7% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 5.0x 3.4x CAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.02% 4.07% 1.01% TRN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.3% +11.4% +37.0% ALSN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +24.7%/yr +0.9%/yr +27.0%/yr ALSN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.6% 37.1% 31.8% ALSN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 61/100 56/100 TRN

Percentile Scorecard

CATTRNALSN

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

AxisCATTRNALSN
Valuation 31 #141 of 203 78 #45 of 203 75 #52 of 203
Growth 70 #58 of 189 74 #50 of 189 42 #110 of 189
Profitability 92 #16 of 187 64 #68 of 187 85 #29 of 187
Financial Health 17 #184 of 221 4 #213 of 221 15 #189 of 221
Shareholder Returns 62 #59 of 152 83 #27 of 152 64 #55 of 152
Overall 54 61 56
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • TRN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • ALSN ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATTRNALSNSPY
1 month -27.4%+16.7%-4.1% -2.3%
3 months -26.2%-2.7%-2.7% -0.7%
6 months -29.9%-12.0%-12.3% +4.8%
Year to date +7.1%+15.3%+15.5% +10.3%
1 year +6.3%+11.4%+37.0% +10.3%
3 years +154.8%+27.0%+115.8% +73.0%
3 years, per year +36.6%+8.3%+29.3% +20.1%
5 years +201.4%+4.6%+230.0% +61.9%
5 years, per year +24.7%+0.9%+27.0% +10.1%
10 years +656.3%+101.5%+298.0% +258.6%
10 years, per year +22.4%+7.3%+14.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCATTRNALSNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.6%37.1%31.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.1%35.5%30.6% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.910.441.07 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.150.311.17 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.4%-43.0%-34.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -42.4%-20.0%-16.8% -3.5%
52-week high $1,064.90$38.09$136.00 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$24.82$79.27 $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.

MultipleCATTRNALSN
P/E now vs peer median 26.0xmedian 25.6x 7.4xmedian 25.6x 17.7xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 1.9x 1.1xmedian 1.9x 2.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.7xmedian 14.4x 7.3xmedian 14.4x 11.8xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.4xmedian 22.5x -9.2xmedian 22.5x 12.7xmedian 22.5x
P/B now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 2.2x 2.1xmedian 2.2x 4.7xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 2.00median 1.36 0.11median 1.36 -6.23median 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 monthsCATTRNALSN
Revenue $74.73B $2.12B $4.40B
Gross profit $25.66B $521.30M $1.60B
Operating income $13.09B $731.90M $861.00M
Net income $10.84B $334.90M $529.00M
Free cash flow $8.99B -$259.60M $737.00M
R&D $2.27B – $197.00M
EPS (diluted) $23.45 $4.03 $6.30
Cash & equivalents $6.71B $158.30M $399.00M
Total debt $45.15B $5.33B $4.14B
Shares (diluted) 462.50M 81.00M 84.00M
Enterprise value $253.70B $1.74B $6.23B

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
MetricCATTRNALSN
P/E 26.0x 7.4x 17.7x
P/FCF 31.4x -9.2x 12.7x
P/Operating cash flow 20.8x 5.6x 9.9x
P/S 3.8x 1.1x 2.1x
P/B 14.5x 2.1x 4.7x
P/Tangible book 14.9x 2.1x 25.1x
EV/EBITDA 20.7x 7.3x 11.8x
EV/EBIT 24.5x 10.3x 15.2x
EV/Revenue 4.3x 3.6x 3.0x
EV/FCF 35.6x -29.1x 17.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 23.6x 17.9x 13.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.00 0.11 -6.23

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATTRNALSN
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.4% -2.4% 37.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% -8.6% 14.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% -8.9% 3.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 3.7% 4.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.7% 71.9% -13.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% 24.2% -0.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.9% 177.0% -30.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 52.4% -5.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.1% 246.3% -29.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 65.3% -2.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% 7.8% 14.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 15.9% 7.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.2% 33.2% 12.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 19.2% 6.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATTRNALSN
Gross margin 34.3% 24.6% 36.4%
EBITDA margin 20.7% 48.8% 25.1%
Operating margin 17.5% 34.5% 19.6%
Pretax margin 18.6% 21.9% 15.7%
Net margin 14.5% 15.4% 12.0%
FCF margin 12.0% -12.2% 16.7%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 19.9% 21.3%
Return on equity 57.0% 29.4% 27.3%
Return on assets 10.9% 4.0% 6.1%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 8.5% 10.7%
Return on capital employed 22.1% – 11.7%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.3x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.1% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATTRNALSN
Debt / assets 44.0% 63.8% 47.5%
Debt / equity 2.3x 4.7x 2.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 5.0x 3.4x
Debt / FCF 5.0x -20.5x 5.6x
Liabilities / assets 81.1% 86.4% 77.3%
Equity / assets 18.9% 13.6% 22.7%
Interest coverage 6.8x – –
Current ratio 1.4x – 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.5x – 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x – 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.31 – 1.83

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATTRNALSN
Dividend yield 1.0% 4.1% 1.0%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 2.3% 1.4%
Shareholder yield 3.6% 6.3% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 25.9% 29.7% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 31.3% -38.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.2% 1.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 6.1% –

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.

ConsensusCATTRNALSN
Forward P/E 23.8xFY2026 14.7xFY2026 14.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.79FY2026 $2.08FY2026 $7.67FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.3%FY2026 -33.8%FY2026 +4.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.4% -1.9% +45.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $84.12BFY2026 $2.34BFY2026 $6.32BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +24.5%FY2026 +8.2%FY2026 +109.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% +4.3% +1.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATTRNALSN
Held by institutions 72.3% 95.3% 100.0%
Institutions holding 4,060 345 568
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.5% +6.3% +1.1%
Institutions buying 1,890 171 258
Institutions selling 1,596 97 231
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.76 1.12

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.

CATTRNALSN
CAT 1.00 0.19 0.52
TRN 0.19 1.00 0.34
ALSN 0.52 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, TRN and ALSN?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $282.00B, Trinity Industries (TRN) $2.38B, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) $9.34B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, TRN and ALSN?

Trinity Industries (TRN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 26.0x, Trinity Industries (TRN) 7.4x, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 17.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Trinity Industries (TRN) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 23.8x, Trinity Industries (TRN) 14.7x, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 14.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Trinity Industries (TRN) -2.4%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +37.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Trinity Industries (TRN) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 15.4%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 12.0%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 8.5%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 10.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) +6.3%, Trinity Industries (TRN) +11.4%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +37.0%. Over five years, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +24.7%/yr, Trinity Industries (TRN) +0.9%/yr, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) +27.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Trinity Industries (TRN) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 1.02%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 4.07%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 1.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 40.6%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 37.1%, Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN) 31.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAT, TRN and ALSN?

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