CAT vs WFC vs FSS Stock Comparison

Caterpillar, Wells Fargo & Company and Federal Signal Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CAT Caterpillar Inc
$553.47 -35.9% 1M -2.8% 1Y
Market cap
$253.27B
P/E
21.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$77.77B
Div. yield
1.13%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
2 wins
WFC Wells Fargo & Company/Mn
$84.78 +4.0% 1M -2.5% 1Y
Market cap
$254.50B
P/E
11.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$87.23B
Div. yield
2.18%
Money Center Banks Financial Services
6 wins
FSS Federal Signal Corp /De/
$112.03 -5.2% 1M -0.9% 1Y
Market cap
$6.84B
P/E
23.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.55B
Div. yield
0.53%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Wells Fargo & Company leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Wells Fargo & Company 6, Federal Signal 4, Caterpillar 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCATWFCFSSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $253.27B $254.50B $6.84B WFC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.5x 11.6x 23.0x WFC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.5x 10.8x 22.7x WFC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.3% +5.4% +24.0% FSS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.2% 25.2% 11.7% WFC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.8% 15.1% 16.0% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.2x 2.8x 0.7x FSS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.13% 2.18% 0.53% WFC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.8% -2.5% -0.9% FSS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +21.9%/yr +11.0%/yr +19.3%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.1% 26.1% 33.6% WFC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 45/100 77/100 FSS

Percentile Scorecard

CATWFCFSS

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

AxisCATWFCFSS
Valuation 37 #129 of 204 38 #224 of 360 56 #91 of 204
Growth 73 #52 of 191 50 #172 of 344 93 #15 of 191
Profitability 92 #16 of 189 52 #166 of 345 89 #22 of 189
Financial Health 19 #180 of 221 6 #318 of 339 79 #48 of 221
Shareholder Returns 64 #58 of 159 78 #77 of 352 67 #53 of 159
Overall 57 45 77
  • CAT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • WFC ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • FSS ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCATWFCFSSSPY
1 month -35.9%+4.0%-5.2% -5.9%
3 months -35.4%-3.2%-12.3% -4.6%
6 months -38.2%+7.1%-7.0% +0.2%
Year to date -3.4%-9.0%+3.2% +7.5%
1 year -2.8%-2.5%-0.9% +8.2%
3 years +132.3%+105.1%+73.7% +68.3%
3 years, per year +32.5%+27.1%+20.2% +19.0%
5 years +168.8%+68.1%+142.0% +56.5%
5 years, per year +21.9%+11.0%+19.3% +9.4%
10 years +572.4%+90.1%+810.8% +251.5%
10 years, per year +21.0%+6.6%+24.7% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureCATWFCFSSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.1%26.1%33.6% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.3%29.7%33.1% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.770.681.17 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.07-0.10-0.03 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -48.0%-38.7%-33.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -48.0%-12.0%-16.2% -5.9%
52-week high $1,064.90$96.39$133.73 $779.14
52-week low $546.13$73.42$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.

MultipleCATWFCFSS
P/E now vs peer median 21.5xmedian 23.4x 11.6xmedian 12.3x 23.0xmedian 23.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 1.7x 2.9xmedian 3.4x 2.7xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.4xmedian 13.4x 6.1xmedian 5.0x 14.1xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.3xmedian 21.9x 8.8xmedian 10.6x 18.7xmedian 21.9x
P/B now vs peer median 11.8xmedian 2.1x 1.4xmedian 1.2x 4.3xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 1.65median 1.02 0.81median 1.29 0.86median 1.02

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 monthsCATWFCFSS
Revenue $77.77B $87.23B $2.55B
Gross profit $27.05B – $741.70M
Operating income $14.25B – $412.80M
Net income $11.83B $22.97B $296.90M
Free cash flow $9.62B $28.91B $365.10M
R&D $2.31B – –
EPS (diluted) $25.67 $7.20 $4.83
Cash & equivalents $7.93B – $73.70M
Total debt $45.20B $221.04B $420.30M
Shares (diluted) 460.90M 3.05B 61.50M
Enterprise value $224.57B $256.61B $6.56B

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
MetricCATWFCFSS
P/E 21.5x 11.6x 23.0x
P/FCF 26.3x 8.8x 18.7x
P/Operating cash flow 17.9x 8.8x 17.0x
P/S 3.3x 2.9x 2.7x
P/B 11.8x 1.4x 4.3x
P/Tangible book 12.0x 1.4x 5.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.4x 6.1x 14.1x
EV/EBIT 20.4x 6.7x 17.4x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 5.5x 2.8x
EV/FCF 30.2x 16.5x 19.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.5x 16.5x 17.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.65 0.81 0.86

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCATWFCFSS
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.3% 5.4% 24.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.3% 2.0% 15.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 18.1% – 24.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.2% – 20.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 24.9% – 26.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.4% – 25.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 27.6% 9.1% 25.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.1% 6.8% 26.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.3% 16.2% 25.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 14.4% 26.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 22.9% 303.3% 62.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.9% -0.6% 45.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 27.2% 303.3% 66.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.5% -0.6% 53.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCATWFCFSS
Gross margin 34.8% – 29.1%
EBITDA margin 21.4% 89.8% 19.9%
Operating margin 18.3% – 16.2%
Pretax margin 19.3% 31.7% 15.2%
Net margin 15.2% 25.2% 11.7%
FCF margin 12.4% 33.1% 14.3%
Operating cash flow margin 18.2% 33.1% 15.8%
Return on equity 57.9% 12.9% 19.2%
Return on assets 11.3% 1.0% 12.1%
Return on invested capital 16.8% 15.1% 16.0%
Return on capital employed 22.3% – 19.2%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.0x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.3x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue – – 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCATWFCFSS
Debt / assets 42.3% 9.8% 17.1%
Debt / equity 2.1x 1.2x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.2x 2.8x 0.7x
Debt / FCF 4.7x 7.6x 1.2x
Liabilities / assets 79.9% 92.1% 35.7%
Equity / assets 20.1% 7.9% 64.3%
Interest coverage 7.2x 1.6x 17.9x
Current ratio 1.4x – 3.0x
Quick ratio 0.5x – 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.2x – 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.10 – 7.43

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCATWFCFSS
Dividend yield 1.1% 2.2% 0.5%
Net buyback yield 3.2% 5.5% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 4.4% 7.7% 0.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 24.1% 24.6% 12.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) 29.7% 19.6% 9.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.8% 5.6% 9.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.2% 6.7% 15.9%

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.

ConsensusCATWFCFSS
Forward P/E 21.5xFY2026 10.8xFY2026 22.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $25.73FY2026 $7.82FY2026 $4.94FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.0%FY2026 +24.9%FY2026 +16.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +30.7% +7.3% +9.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $83.62BFY2026 $94.29BFY2026 $2.78BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +23.7%FY2026 +12.7%FY2026 +27.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.8% +4.3% -4.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCATWFCFSS
Held by institutions 72.3% 76.8% 100.0%
Institutions holding 4,063 2,882 476
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +1.1% +3.9%
Institutions buying 1,892 1,293 251
Institutions selling 1,597 1,137 152
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.14 1.65

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.

CATWFCFSS
CAT 1.00 0.25 0.50
WFC 0.25 1.00 0.35
FSS 0.50 0.35 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAT, WFC and FSS?

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Caterpillar (CAT) $253.27B, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) $254.50B, Federal Signal (FSS) $6.84B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAT, WFC and FSS?

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Caterpillar (CAT) 21.5x, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 11.6x, Federal Signal (FSS) 23.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is cheapest (Caterpillar (CAT) 21.5x, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 10.8x, Federal Signal (FSS) 22.7x). 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) +20.3%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) +5.4%, Federal Signal (FSS) +24.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) has the highest net margin (Caterpillar (CAT) 15.2%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 25.2%, Federal Signal (FSS) 11.7%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Caterpillar (CAT) 16.8%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 15.1%, Federal Signal (FSS) 16.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Federal Signal (FSS) returned the most: Caterpillar (CAT) -2.8%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) -2.5%, Federal Signal (FSS) -0.9%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Caterpillar (CAT) +21.9%/yr, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) +11.0%/yr, Federal Signal (FSS) +19.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) has the highest dividend yield: Caterpillar (CAT) 1.13%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 2.18%, Federal Signal (FSS) 0.53%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) has been the steadiest (Caterpillar (CAT) 41.1%, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 26.1%, Federal Signal (FSS) 33.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAT, WFC 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, Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 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.