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

CAT has the lower trailing P/E: CAT trades at 35.21 and GE at 38.21. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CAT or GE?

Over the past five years, CAT grew revenue faster — CAT at a 10.24% CAGR versus GE at -7.73%.

Does CAT or GE pay a bigger dividend?

CAT yields 0.77% and GE yields 0.51% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CAT or GE more profitable?

GE runs the higher net margin — CAT at 14.50% versus GE at 17.70%.

How have CAT and GE total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CAT delivered 28.63% and GE delivered 9.65% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) vs GE Aerospace (GE)

A side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and GE Aerospace across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 10, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CAT

Caterpillar Inc.

$377.06B

$818.57IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

GE Aerospace

$335.82B

$323.66IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CAT vs GE

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

CAT +1123.7% (+28.5%/yr)GE +143.8% (+9.3%/yr)CAT compounded faster over this window

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

CAT GE

CAT vs GE: by the numbers

•CAT is the larger company ($377.06B vs $335.82B market cap).
•CAT trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (35.21 vs 38.21 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•GE converts more revenue to profit (17.70% vs 14.50% net margin).
•CAT grew revenue faster over the past five years (10.24% vs -7.73% CAGR).
•CAT pays the higher dividend yield (0.77% vs 0.51%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CAT	GE
P/E ratio	35.21	38.21
Forward P/E	30.04	40.87
P/S ratio	5.05	6.63
P/B ratio	19.44	19.04
EV / EBITDA	26.86	29.37
FCF yield	2.39%	2.50%

Profitability

Metric	CAT	GE
Gross margin	33.87%	35.44%
Operating margin	17.52%	20.79%
Net margin	14.50%	17.70%
ROE	55.85%	50.86%
ROIC	13.30%	10.22%

Dividends

Metric	CAT	GE
Dividend yield	0.77%	0.51%
Payout ratio	26.49%	19.60%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CAT	GE
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	10.24%	-7.73%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	27.96%	11.81%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	9.80%	47.84%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	33.75%	39.23%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CAT or GE?: CAT has the lower trailing P/E: CAT trades at 35.21 and GE at 38.21. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CAT or GE?: Over the past five years, CAT grew revenue faster — CAT at a 10.24% CAGR versus GE at -7.73%.
Does CAT or GE pay a bigger dividend?: CAT yields 0.77% and GE yields 0.51% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CAT or GE more profitable?: GE runs the higher net margin — CAT at 14.50% versus GE at 17.70%.
How have CAT and GE total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CAT delivered 28.63% and GE delivered 9.65% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CAT analysis Full GE analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Caterpillar & GE Aerospace appear in these rankings

25+ Year Dividend Growers 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 September 10, 2026.