CATERPILLAR INC vs ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC, two Industrial Machinery stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where CAT and ITW diverge most: on debt / equity, CAT reads 0.00 and ITW reads 3.35; on revenue growth, CAT reads +18.4% and ITW reads +4.3%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What CAT's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). What ITW's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | CAT | ITW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $800.63 | $264.08 |
| Market cap | $370.3B | $75.8B |
| Sector | Industrial Machinery | Industrial Machinery |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +9.5% |
| P/E | 34.5 | 23.9 |
| P/B | 19.09 | 26.18 |
| P/S | 4.96 | 4.60 |
| EV/EBITDA | 23.5 | 18.0 |
| Revenue growth | +18.4% | +4.3% |
| Operating margin | 20.9% | 26.7% |
| Net margin | 14.5% | 19.4% |
| Return on equity | 55.9% | 110.3% |
| Return on assets | 10.6% | 19.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 53.3% | 28.9% |
| FCF yield | 2.9% | 3.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.7% | 2.4% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 3.35 |
| Current ratio | 1.37 | 1.11 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.66 | 9.89 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.