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

UNP has the lower trailing P/E: CAT trades at 40.54 and UNP at 23.44. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CAT or UNP?

Over the past five years, CAT grew revenue faster — CAT at a 10.47% CAGR versus UNP at 4.32%.

Does CAT or UNP pay a bigger dividend?

CAT yields 0.74% and UNP yields 1.91% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CAT or UNP more profitable?

UNP runs the higher net margin — CAT at 13.31% versus UNP at 28.85%.

How have CAT and UNP total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CAT delivered 28.47% and UNP delivered 14.65% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) vs Union Pacific Corporation (UNP)

A side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Union Pacific Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of August 1, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CAT

Caterpillar Inc.

$375.33B

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

UNP

Union Pacific Corporation

$173.55B

$292.13IndustrialsDelayed quote: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CAT vs UNP

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 30y

CAT +9992.8%UNP +4468.2%CAT compounded faster

CAT UNP

CAT vs UNP: by the numbers

•CAT is the larger company ($375.33B vs $173.55B market cap).
•UNP trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (23.44 vs 40.54 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•UNP converts more revenue to profit (28.85% vs 13.31% net margin).
•CAT grew revenue faster over the past five years (10.47% vs 4.32% CAGR).
•UNP pays the higher dividend yield (1.91% vs 0.74%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CAT	UNP
P/E ratio	40.54	23.44
Forward P/E	32.88	22.22
P/S ratio	5.36	6.77
P/B ratio	20.34	8.32
PEG ratio	1.45	2.35
EV / EBITDA	29.82	15.90
FCF yield	3.02%	3.78%

Profitability

Metric	CAT	UNP
Gross margin	32.52%	59.38%
Operating margin	16.56%	39.93%
Net margin	13.31%	28.85%
ROE	50.48%	35.46%
ROIC	11.42%	11.70%

Dividends

Metric	CAT	UNP
Dividend yield	0.74%	1.91%
Payout ratio	31.96%	45.96%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CAT	UNP
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	10.47%	4.32%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	27.96%	8.74%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	17.77%	-0.41%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	33.83%	8.44%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CAT or UNP?: UNP has the lower trailing P/E: CAT trades at 40.54 and UNP at 23.44. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CAT or UNP?: Over the past five years, CAT grew revenue faster — CAT at a 10.47% CAGR versus UNP at 4.32%.
Does CAT or UNP pay a bigger dividend?: CAT yields 0.74% and UNP yields 1.91% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CAT or UNP more profitable?: UNP runs the higher net margin — CAT at 13.31% versus UNP at 28.85%.
How have CAT and UNP total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CAT delivered 28.47% and UNP delivered 14.65% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CAT analysis Full UNP analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Caterpillar & Union Pacific appear in these rankings

Highest ROE Stocks Highest Operating Margin 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 August 1, 2026.