Which has the lower trailing P/E, BA or CAT?

CAT has the lower trailing P/E: BA trades at 95.63 and CAT at 40.54. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, BA or CAT?

Over the past five years, CAT grew revenue faster — BA at a 8.80% CAGR versus CAT at 10.47%.

Does BA or CAT pay a bigger dividend?

CAT pays a dividend (0.74% yield), while BA is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Is BA or CAT more profitable?

CAT runs the higher net margin — BA at 2.59% versus CAT at 13.31%.

How have BA and CAT total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, BA delivered 5.91% and CAT delivered 28.47% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

The Boeing Company (BA) vs Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)

A side-by-side comparison of The Boeing Company and Caterpillar Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 31, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

The Boeing Company

$170.83B

$216.14IndustrialsDelayed quote: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

CAT

Caterpillar Inc.

$375.33B

$814.81IndustrialsAt close: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Total return — BA vs CAT

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 30y

BA +711.3%CAT +9992.8%CAT compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

BA CAT

BA vs CAT: by the numbers

•CAT is the larger company ($375.33B vs $170.83B market cap).
•CAT trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (40.54 vs 95.63 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•CAT converts more revenue to profit (13.31% vs 2.59% net margin).
•CAT grew revenue faster over the past five years (10.47% vs 8.80% CAGR).
•CAT pays a dividend (0.74% yield), while BA is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	BA	CAT
P/E ratio	95.63	40.54
Forward P/E	N/A	32.88
P/S ratio	1.86	5.36
P/B ratio	28.65	20.34
PEG ratio	N/A	1.45
EV / EBITDA	N/A	29.82
FCF yield	1.03%	3.02%

Profitability

Metric	BA	CAT
Gross margin	4.68%	32.52%
Operating margin	-5.41%	16.56%
Net margin	2.59%	13.31%
ROE	39.92%	50.48%
ROIC	-6.67%	11.42%

Dividends

Metric	BA	CAT
Dividend yield	N/A	0.74%
Payout ratio	N/A	31.96%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	BA	CAT
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	8.80%	10.47%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	N/A	27.96%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	12.62%	17.77%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	-0.89%	33.83%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, BA or CAT?: CAT has the lower trailing P/E: BA trades at 95.63 and CAT at 40.54. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, BA or CAT?: Over the past five years, CAT grew revenue faster — BA at a 8.80% CAGR versus CAT at 10.47%.
Does BA or CAT pay a bigger dividend?: CAT pays a dividend (0.74% yield), while BA is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.
Is BA or CAT more profitable?: CAT runs the higher net margin — BA at 2.59% versus CAT at 13.31%.
How have BA and CAT total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, BA delivered 5.91% and CAT delivered 28.47% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full BA analysis Full CAT analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Boeing P/E ratio Caterpillar P/E ratio Boeing dividend yield Caterpillar dividend yield Boeing ROE Caterpillar ROE Boeing operating margin Caterpillar operating margin Boeing revenue growth Caterpillar revenue growth Boeing free cash flow Caterpillar free cash flow

Boeing & Caterpillar appear in these rankings

Highest ROE Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks Largest Companies by Market Cap

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 31, 2026.