WAB vs CAT vs POWL Stock Comparison

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, Caterpillar and Powell Industries Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CAT Caterpillar Inc
$686.82 -15.5% 1M +32.0% 1Y
Market cap
$318.29B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$74.73B
Div. yield
0.01%
Heavy Equipment Industrials
5 wins
POWL Powell Industries Inc
$150.95 -21.6% 1M +32.6% 1Y
Market cap
$5.72B
P/E
30.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.16B
Div. yield
0.00%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Caterpillar leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Caterpillar 5, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies 4, Powell Industries 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionWABCATPOWLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $46.97B $318.29B $5.72B CAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 37.0x 29.4x 30.0x CAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.6x 26.6x 29.2x WAB
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.4% +18.4% +7.0% CAT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.6% 14.5% 16.5% POWL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.3% 15.9% — CAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.4x 2.5x — WAB
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% CAT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +38.2% +32.0% +32.6% WAB
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +24.1%/yr +27.9%/yr +77.2%/yr POWL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 40.4% 64.5% WAB
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 50/100 71/100 POWL

Percentile Scorecard

WABCATPOWL

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

AxisWABCATPOWL
Valuation 34 #134 of 203 22 #159 of 203 45 #113 of 203
Growth 86 #28 of 188 68 #61 of 188 91 #18 of 188
Profitability 67 #62 of 187 91 #17 of 187 97 #6 of 187
Financial Health 29 #159 of 222 16 #186 of 222 75 #57 of 222
Shareholder Returns 78 #35 of 153 53 #72 of 153 46 #83 of 153
Overall 59 50 71
  • WAB ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CAT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • POWL ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodWABCATPOWLSPY
1 month -6.9%-15.5%-21.6% -1.0%
3 months -10.0%-22.7%-35.0% +2.9%
6 months +1.9%-17.3%-40.3% +6.4%
Year to date +27.5%+19.9%+42.1% +11.4%
1 year +38.2%+32.0%+32.6% +13.1%
3 years +172.4%+175.2%+511.1% +79.4%
3 years, per year +39.7%+40.2%+82.9% +21.5%
5 years +194.6%+242.3%+1,644.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +24.1%+27.9%+77.2% +10.9%
10 years +229.9%+695.6%+1,110.5% +255.2%
10 years, per year +12.7%+23.0%+28.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureWABCATPOWLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%40.4%64.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.1%39.9%67.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.981.832.51 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.460.790.51 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -23.7%-35.5%-55.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.0%-35.5%-53.1% -2.5%
52-week high $305.87$1,064.90$322.05 $779.14
52-week low $196.14$520.50$94.02 $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.

MultipleWABCATPOWL
P/E now vs peer median 36.3xmedian 25.9x 29.2xmedian 25.9x 28.8xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 1.9x 4.2xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.7xmedian 13.7x 22.9xmedian 13.7x 20.6xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.9xmedian 21.1x 35.1xmedian 21.1x 22.5xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 4.1xmedian 2.3x 16.3xmedian 2.3x 7.3xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.42median 1.19 2.24median 1.19 0.40median 1.19

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 monthsWABCATPOWL
Revenue $11.98B $74.73B $1.16B
Gross profit $4.19B $25.66B $348.18M
Operating income $1.96B $13.09B $227.67M
Net income $1.28B $10.84B $190.86M
Free cash flow $1.71B $8.99B $243.96M
R&D $253.00M $2.27B $14.98M
EPS (diluted) $7.48 $23.45 $5.21
Cash & equivalents $670.00M $6.71B $633.56M
Total debt $6.57B $173.08B –
Shares (diluted) 169.60M 462.50M 36.60M
Enterprise value $44.45B $289.99B $3.57B

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
MetricWABCATPOWL
P/E 36.3x 29.2x 28.8x
P/FCF 26.9x 35.1x 22.5x
P/Operating cash flow 23.0x 23.3x 21.5x
P/S 3.8x 4.2x 4.8x
P/B 4.1x 16.3x 7.3x
P/Tangible book 6.5x 16.6x 7.3x
EV/EBITDA 20.7x 22.9x 20.6x
EV/EBIT 26.4x 27.1x 21.4x
EV/Revenue 4.3x 4.7x 4.2x
EV/FCF 30.3x 39.4x 19.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.0x 26.1x 19.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.42 2.24 0.40

Growth

14 metrics
MetricWABCATPOWL
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.4% 18.4% 7.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.1% 4.9% 21.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 19.2% 11.7% 11.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 15.9% 5.6% 39.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 14.7% 13.7% 8.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 21.5% 7.7% 74.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.5% 14.9% 8.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 22.9% 9.0% 73.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 11.1% 17.1% 8.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 25.6% 13.0% 72.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 20.1% 19.3% 153.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 41.6% 10.6% 25.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 18.0% 16.2% 201.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 47.4% 7.4% 25.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricWABCATPOWL
Gross margin 35.0% 34.3% 30.1%
EBITDA margin 21.0% 20.7% 20.4%
Operating margin 16.4% 17.5% 19.7%
Pretax margin 14.2% 18.6% 21.2%
Net margin 10.6% 14.5% 16.5%
FCF margin 14.3% 12.0% 21.1%
Operating cash flow margin 16.7% 18.2% 22.1%
Return on equity 11.4% 57.0% 26.1%
Return on assets 5.5% 10.9% 14.8%
Return on invested capital 8.3% 15.9% –
Return on capital employed 11.0% 22.1% 34.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.3x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% – 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricWABCATPOWL
Debt / assets 28.4% 44.0% –
Debt / equity 0.6x 2.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA 2.4x 2.5x –
Debt / FCF 3.8x 5.0x –
Liabilities / assets 51.4% 81.1% 46.2%
Equity / assets 48.6% 18.9% 53.8%
Interest coverage 6.9x 6.8x –
Current ratio 1.1x 1.4x 2.0x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.5x 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 3.43 4.55 7.70

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricWABCATPOWL
Dividend yield 0.4% 0.7% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 1.2% 2.3% –
Shareholder yield 1.6% 3.0% 0.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 15.0% 25.9% 6.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) 11.2% 31.3% 5.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) 23.1% 4.2% 1.6%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 17.6% 4.1% 1.8%

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.

ConsensusWABCATPOWL
Forward P/E 23.6xFY2026 26.6xFY2026 29.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.51FY2026 $25.79FY2026 $5.17FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +28.3%FY2026 +35.3%FY2026 +4.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.9% +31.4% +26.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.87BFY2026 $84.12BFY2026 $1.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.2%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026 +12.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.5% +1.5% +26.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersWABCATPOWL
Held by institutions 92.6% 72.3% 75.0%
Institutions holding 1,195 4,055 581
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.2% +0.5% -4.3%
Institutions buying 553 1,886 318
Institutions selling 409 1,595 215
Buyers to sellers 1.35 1.18 1.48

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.

WABCATPOWL
WAB 1.00 0.66 0.50
CAT 0.66 1.00 0.68
POWL 0.50 0.68 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, WAB, CAT and POWL?

Caterpillar (CAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) $46.97B, Caterpillar (CAT) $318.29B, Powell Industries (POWL) $5.72B.

Which stock is cheaper, WAB, CAT and POWL?

Caterpillar (CAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 37.0x, Caterpillar (CAT) 29.4x, Powell Industries (POWL) 30.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) is cheapest (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 23.6x, Caterpillar (CAT) 26.6x, Powell Industries (POWL) 29.2x). 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: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) +13.4%, Caterpillar (CAT) +18.4%, Powell Industries (POWL) +7.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Powell Industries (POWL) has the highest net margin (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 10.6%, Caterpillar (CAT) 14.5%, Powell Industries (POWL) 16.5%). On return on invested capital, Caterpillar (CAT) leads (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 8.3%, Caterpillar (CAT) 15.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) returned the most: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) +38.2%, Caterpillar (CAT) +32.0%, Powell Industries (POWL) +32.6%. Over five years, Powell Industries (POWL) compounded fastest (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) +24.1%/yr, Caterpillar (CAT) +27.9%/yr, Powell Industries (POWL) +77.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Caterpillar (CAT) has the highest dividend yield: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 0.00%, Caterpillar (CAT) 0.01%, Powell Industries (POWL) 0.00%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) has been the steadiest (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 26.2%, Caterpillar (CAT) 40.4%, Powell Industries (POWL) 64.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, WAB, CAT and POWL?

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 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.