Caterpillar (CAT) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026)
Caterpillar (CAT) posted Return on Sales [ROS] of 20.91% for Q2 2026, up 3.65 percentage points from 17.26% a year earlier and up 3.19 percentage points from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Caterpillar (CAT) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
For the trailing twelve months through Jun 30, 2026, Return on Sales [ROS] at Caterpillar was 17.52%, down 0.71 percentage points year-over-year; for FY2025, it was 16.50%, down 3.67 percentage points from FY2024.
- Annual Return on Sales [ROS] shows a five-year change of +5.59 percentage points (FY2020 to FY2025).
- In prior years, Caterpillar's Return on Sales [ROS] was 20.17% in FY2024 (+0.84 pp), 19.33% in FY2023 (+6.03 pp), 13.30% in FY2022 (-0.19 pp) and 13.49% in FY2021 (+2.59 pp).
- The Q2 2026 figure stands as the highest quarterly Return on Sales [ROS] since Q1 2024.
- On a year-over-year basis, Return on Sales [ROS] increased in 1 of the last eight quarters, with an average year-over-year change of -1.52 percentage points.
- The strongest year-over-year quarter for Return on Sales [ROS] in the past five years was Q4 2023, with a gain of 8.24 percentage points; the weakest was Q1 2025, with a drop of 4.17 percentage points.
- According to Business Quant data, Return on Sales [ROS] for the three prior quarters was 17.71% (Q1 2026), 13.90% (Q4 2025) and 17.30% (Q3 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROS (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caterpillar | 351.72 Bn | 323.42 Bn | 7.76 Bn | 20.91% |
| 2 | Amphenol | 209.71 Bn | 204.29 Bn | 3.55 Bn | 29.51% |
| 3 | Deere | 174.37 Bn | 142.46 Bn | 4.66 Bn | 14.72% |
| 4 | Eaton | 165.35 Bn | 162.53 Bn | 2.86 Bn | 16.32% |
| 5 | Parker-Hannifin | 120.55 Bn | 118.67 Bn | 2.25 Bn | 23.86% |
| 6 | Emerson Electric | 90.78 Bn | 83.52 Bn | 2.66 Bn | 26.92% |
| 7 | Vertiv Holdings | 90.21 Bn | 80.83 Bn | 1.23 Bn | 19.48% |
| 8 | 3M | 83.91 Bn | 65.31 Bn | 2.68 Bn | 15.14% |
| 9 | Illinois Tool Works | 75.91 Bn | 72.47 Bn | 1.90 Bn | 26.67% |
| 10 | Cummins | 72.58 Bn | 68.66 Bn | 2.47 Bn | 13.52% |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 20.91% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 17.71% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 13.90% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 17.30% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 17.26% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 18.10% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 18.03% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 19.54% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 20.86% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 22.27% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 18.36% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 20.52% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 21.09% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 17.22% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 10.12% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 16.17% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 13.64% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 13.65% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 11.68% |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 13.42% |
API Access
Caterpillar Return on Sales [ROS] API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=CAT&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-sales-[ros]", "ticker": "CAT", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=CAT&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();