CATERPILLAR INC vs LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION, two Industrial Machinery stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where CAT and LRCX diverge most: on debt / equity, CAT reads 0.00 and LRCX reads 0.30; on p/s, CAT reads 4.96 and LRCX reads 17.25. 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 LRCX's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | CAT | LRCX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $800.63 | $318.81 |
| Market cap | $370.3B | $400.8B |
| Sector | Industrial Machinery | Industrial Machinery |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| P/E | 34.5 | 55.4 |
| P/B | 19.09 | 32.14 |
| P/S | 4.96 | 17.25 |
| EV/EBITDA | 23.5 | 46.2 |
| Revenue growth | +18.4% | +25.9% |
| Gross margin | — | 51.8% |
| Operating margin | 20.9% | 37.4% |
| Net margin | 14.5% | 31.3% |
| Return on equity | 55.9% | 58.3% |
| Return on assets | 10.6% | 30.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 53.3% | 47.0% |
| FCF yield | 2.9% | 1.2% |
| Dividend yield | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| Current ratio | 1.37 | 2.63 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.66 | 9.91 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 5 / 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.