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Asset Utilization RatioAssets AverageDebt RatioDebt to EquityEBIT MarginEBITDA MarginEBT MarginEnterprise ValueEquity AverageEquity RatioFCF MarginFCF Payout RatioGross MarginInterest Coverage RatioInventory AverageInvested CapitalNet MarginOperating MarginReturn on AssetsReturn on Capital EmployedReturn on EquityReturn on Invested CapitalReturn on SalesTimes Interest Earned

Caterpillar (CAT) Return on Capital Employed (2016 - 2025)

Caterpillar has reported Return on Capital Employed over the past 17 years, most recently at 0.19% for Q4 2025.

  • Quarterly results put Return on Capital Employed at 0.19% for Q4 2025, down 5.0% from a year ago — trailing twelve months through Dec 2025 was 0.19% (down 5.0% YoY), and the annual figure for FY2025 was 0.2%, down 4.0%.
  • Return on Capital Employed for Q4 2025 was 0.19% at Caterpillar, down from 0.2% in the prior quarter.
  • Over the last five years, Return on Capital Employed for CAT hit a ceiling of 0.27% in Q2 2024 and a floor of 0.09% in Q1 2021.
  • Median Return on Capital Employed over the past 5 years was 0.2% (2025), compared with a mean of 0.19%.
  • Biggest five-year swings in Return on Capital Employed: decreased -5bps in 2021 and later rose 9bps in 2023.
  • Caterpillar's Return on Capital Employed stood at 0.13% in 2021, then increased by 20bps to 0.16% in 2022, then skyrocketed by 56bps to 0.25% in 2023, then dropped by -3bps to 0.24% in 2024, then dropped by -22bps to 0.19% in 2025.
  • The last three reported values for Return on Capital Employed were 0.19% (Q4 2025), 0.2% (Q3 2025), and 0.22% (Q2 2025) per Business Quant data.