GNRC vs CAT vs BW Stock Comparison

Generac Holdings, Caterpillar and Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GNRC Generac Holdings Inc.
$193.75 -6.9% 1M +1.8% 1Y
Market cap
$11.52B
P/E
44.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.44B
Div. yield
–
Power Equipment Industrials
2 wins
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$713.64 -13.1% 1M +35.4% 1Y
Market cap
$327.36B
P/E
30.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionGNRCCATBWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.52B $327.36B $640.49M CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 44.6x 30.2x -19.3x CAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.8x 27.7x 32.5x GNRC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.6% +18.4% +42.6% BW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.8% 14.5% -4.0% CAT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.9% 15.9% 14.3% CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.6x 2.5x -2.8x BW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +1.8% +35.4% +39.6% BW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -17.4%/yr +28.5%/yr -7.6%/yr CAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 57.1% 40.5% 114.7% CAT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 51/100 51/100 GNRC

Percentile Scorecard

GNRCCATBW

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

AxisGNRCCATBW
Valuation 73 #17 of 61 21 #160 of 203 63 #23 of 61
Growth 42 #34 of 58 67 #63 of 188 70 #18 of 58
Profitability 87 #8 of 55 92 #15 of 183 72 #16 of 55
Financial Health 46 #39 of 71 17 #180 of 217 37 #45 of 71
Shareholder Returns 72 #9 of 30 56 #68 of 153 10 #27 of 30
Overall 64 51 51
  • GNRC ranked among 71 companies in Clean Energy Equipment
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • BW ranked among 71 companies in Clean Energy Equipment

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodGNRCCATBWSPY
1 month -6.9%-13.1%-27.5% -0.2%
3 months -0.8%-15.2%-48.4% +3.9%
6 months -10.8%-12.7%-68.9% +8.2%
Year to date +42.1%+24.6%-28.2% +12.9%
1 year +1.8%+35.4%+39.6% +12.3%
3 years +135.7%+199.1%+93.6% +87.4%
3 years, per year +33.1%+44.1%+24.7% +23.3%
5 years -61.5%+249.7%-32.8% +67.9%
5 years, per year -17.4%+28.5%-7.6% +10.9%
10 years +405.9%+759.7%-97.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year +17.6%+24.0%-29.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGNRCCATBWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 57.1%40.5%114.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 54.7%39.9%103.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.181.853.33 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.030.870.34 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -83.7%-35.5%-97.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -34.4%-33.0%-79.2% -1.2%
52-week high $295.54$1,064.90$21.85 $779.14
52-week low $136.37$524.47$3.16 $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.

MultipleGNRCCATBW
P/E now vs peer median 44.1xmedian 27.2x 30.3xmedian 25.2x -19.5xmedian 27.2x
P/S now vs peer median 2.6xmedian 2.4x 4.4xmedian 1.9x 0.8xmedian 2.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.7xmedian 18.4x 23.7xmedian 14.0x 16.1xmedian 18.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.1xmedian 28.6x 36.5xmedian 21.7x -11.7xmedian 28.6x
P/B now vs peer median 4.0xmedian 1.7x 16.9xmedian 2.3x 11.8xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 3.39median 0.79 2.32median 1.32 -0.79median 0.79

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 monthsGNRCCATBW
Revenue $4.44B $74.73B $821.95M
Gross profit $1.76B $25.66B $160.14M
Operating income $421.49M $13.09B $22.49M
Net income $258.77M $10.84B -$18.35M
Free cash flow $379.25M $8.99B -$58.17M
R&D $249.51M $2.27B –
EPS (diluted) $4.33 $23.45 $-0.21
Cash & equivalents $264.92M $6.71B $308.63M
Total debt $1.33B $45.15B $209.43M
Shares (diluted) 59.64M 462.50M 154.51M
Enterprise value $10.35B $299.05B $111.46M

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
MetricGNRCCATBW
P/E 44.1x 30.3x -19.5x
P/FCF 30.1x 36.5x -11.7x
P/Operating cash flow 20.9x 24.2x -19.5x
P/S 2.6x 4.4x 0.8x
P/B 4.0x 16.9x 11.8x
P/Tangible book 4.3x 17.3x 15.4x
EV/EBITDA 18.7x 23.7x 16.1x
EV/EBIT 29.6x 28.0x 25.7x
EV/Revenue 2.8x 4.9x 0.7x
EV/FCF 33.0x 40.7x -9.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 22.8x 27.0x -16.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.39 2.32 -0.79

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGNRCCATBW
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.6% 18.4% 42.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.3% 4.9% 3.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.4% 11.7% 20.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.4% 5.6% -2.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -25.0% 13.7% 879.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 7.7% 17.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -26.1% 14.9% 87.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 10.1% 9.0% 17.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -26.7% 17.1% 87.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 13.0% 24.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -19.6% 19.3% 72.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 71.1% 10.6% -73.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -25.9% 16.2% 57.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 188.3% 7.4% -120.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGNRCCATBW
Gross margin 39.5% 34.3% 19.5%
EBITDA margin 15.1% 20.7% 4.4%
Operating margin 9.5% 17.5% 2.7%
Pretax margin 7.6% 18.6% -8.8%
Net margin 5.8% 14.5% -4.0%
FCF margin 8.5% 12.0% -7.1%
Operating cash flow margin 12.3% 18.2% -4.2%
Return on equity 9.3% 57.0% –
Return on assets 4.6% 10.9% -8.9%
Return on invested capital 7.9% 15.9% 14.3%
Return on capital employed 9.4% 22.1% 5.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.8x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 1.3x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% – 2.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGNRCCATBW
Debt / assets 23.0% 44.0% 21.0%
Debt / equity 0.5x 2.3x 3.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.6x 2.5x -2.8x
Debt / FCF 3.5x 5.0x -3.6x
Liabilities / assets 50.1% 81.1% 94.3%
Equity / assets 49.9% 18.9% 5.7%
Interest coverage 6.2x 6.8x 0.9x
Current ratio 2.0x 1.4x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.5x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 4.42 4.64 -0.88

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGNRCCATBW
Dividend yield – 0.9% –
Net buyback yield -0.1% 2.2% -56.7%
Shareholder yield -0.1% 3.1% -56.7%
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.

ConsensusGNRCCATBW
Forward P/E 20.8xFY2026 27.7xFY2026 32.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $9.31FY2026 $25.79FY2026 $0.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +46.8%FY2026 +35.3%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +42.0% +31.4% +221.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.60BFY2026 $84.12BFY2026 $1.01BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.1%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +48.6% +1.5% +35.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGNRCCATBW
Held by institutions 89.4% 72.3% 88.0%
Institutions holding 998 4,057 200
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.0% +0.5% +24.0%
Institutions buying 531 1,888 146
Institutions selling 321 1,595 41
Buyers to sellers 1.65 1.18 3.56

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.

GNRCCATBW
GNRC 1.00 0.60 0.32
CAT 0.60 1.00 0.43
BW 0.32 0.43 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GNRC, CAT and BW?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Generac Holdings (GNRC) $11.52B, Caterpillar (CAT) $327.36B, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) $640.49M.

Which stock is cheaper, GNRC, CAT and BW?

Caterpillar (CAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Generac Holdings (GNRC) 44.6x, Caterpillar (CAT) 30.2x, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) -19.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Generac Holdings (GNRC) is cheapest (Generac Holdings (GNRC) 20.8x, Caterpillar (CAT) 27.7x, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) 32.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Generac Holdings (GNRC) +0.6%, Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) +42.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest net margin (Generac Holdings (GNRC) 5.8%, Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) -4.0%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Generac Holdings (GNRC) 7.9%, Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) 14.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) returned the most: Generac Holdings (GNRC) +1.8%, Caterpillar (CAT) +35.4%, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) +39.6%. Over five years, Caterpillar (CAT) compounded fastest (Generac Holdings (GNRC) -17.4%/yr, Caterpillar (CAT) +28.5%/yr, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) -7.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Generac Holdings (GNRC) 0.00%, Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) 0.00%. Generac Holdings (GNRC) and Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Caterpillar (CAT) has been the steadiest (Generac Holdings (GNRC) 57.1%, Caterpillar (CAT) 40.5%, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW) 114.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GNRC, CAT and BW?

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.