Is CAT or POWL cheaper?

On trailing earnings, CAT is cheaper: CAT trades at a 45.30 P/E and POWL at 57.61.

Which has grown faster, CAT or POWL?

Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — CAT at a 10.47% CAGR versus POWL at 19.84%.

Does CAT or POWL pay a bigger dividend?

CAT yields 0.66% and POWL yields 0.12% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CAT or POWL more profitable?

POWL runs the higher net margin — CAT at 13.31% versus POWL at 16.51%.

Which has been the better investment, CAT or POWL?

Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — CAT at 31.11% versus POWL at 47.08%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) vs Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL)

POWL leads on 9 of 17 compared metrics, though CAT is the cheaper stock.

A side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Powell Industries, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Powell Industries, Inc.

$10.74B

$294.75Industrials

Total return — CAT vs POWL

growth of $100 · last 30y

CAT +5534.7%POWL +7124.3%POWL compounded faster

CAT POWL

CAT vs POWL: by the numbers

•CAT is the larger company ($419.44B vs $10.74B market cap).
•CAT trades at the lower earnings multiple (45.30 vs 57.61 P/E).
•POWL converts more revenue to profit (16.51% vs 13.31% net margin).
•POWL grew revenue faster over the past five years (19.84% vs 10.47% CAGR).
•CAT pays the higher dividend yield (0.66% vs 0.12%).

Which is better, CAT or POWL?

Metric tally: CAT 8 · POWL 9

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueCAT(lower P/E)

GrowthPOWL(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeCAT(higher dividend yield)

QualityPOWL(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	CAT	POWL
P/E ratio	45.30●	57.61
Forward P/E	36.92●	44.88
P/S ratio	5.99●	9.51
P/B ratio	22.73	15.19●
PEG ratio	1.62	1.03●
EV / EBITDA	29.10●	41.17
FCF yield	2.70%●	1.79%

Profitability

Metric	CAT	POWL
Gross margin	32.52%●	30.10%
Operating margin	16.56%	19.76%●
Net margin	13.31%	16.51%●
ROE	50.48%●	26.36%
ROIC	11.42%	25.41%●

Dividends

Metric	CAT	POWL
Dividend yield	0.66%●	0.12%
Payout ratio	31.96%	7.18%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CAT	POWL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	10.47%	19.84%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	27.96%	59.98%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	17.77%	34.56%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	35.15%	99.30%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, CAT or POWL?: It depends on your goal. value: CAT (lower P/E); growth: POWL (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: CAT (higher dividend yield); quality: POWL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, POWL leads 9 to 8.
Is CAT or POWL cheaper?: On trailing earnings, CAT is cheaper: CAT trades at a 45.30 P/E and POWL at 57.61.
Which has grown faster, CAT or POWL?: Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — CAT at a 10.47% CAGR versus POWL at 19.84%.
Does CAT or POWL pay a bigger dividend?: CAT yields 0.66% and POWL yields 0.12% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CAT or POWL more profitable?: POWL runs the higher net margin — CAT at 13.31% versus POWL at 16.51%.
Which has been the better investment, CAT or POWL?: Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — CAT at 31.11% versus POWL at 47.08%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CAT analysis Full POWL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Caterpillar & Powell Industries appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

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 June 13, 2026.