CAT
Caterpillar Inc.
CAT has the edge over FSTR overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and lower modeled downside.
FSTR
L.B. Foster Company
FSTR offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
CAT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
CAT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
FSTR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
FSTR's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable.
CAT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 15x | $380 | -37% |
| Fair | 18x | $461 | -24% |
| Forward | 20x | $605 | — |
| Current | 24x | $605 | — |
| Expensive | 33x | $840 | +39% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CAT has the edge over FSTR in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
FSTR PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 5.3x | $6.86 | -84% |
| Forward | 23x | $43.13 | — |
| Fair | 25x | $31.76 | -26% |
| Current | 33x | $43.13 | — |
| Expensive | 44x | $57.03 | +32% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
FSTR's PE is in its fair range at 33x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 23x next year's earnings.
CAT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
CAT has the edge over FSTR on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
FSTR Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for FSTR, with profitability holding steady.
CAT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $30.32 | +19% |
| Q3 2026 | $25.48 | +31% |
| Q2 2026 | $23.23 | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $20.08 | -2% |
| Q4 2025 | $18.81 | -15% |
| Q3 2025 | $19.46 | -9.7% |
| Q2 2025 | $19.64 | -10% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.50 | -7.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $22.05 | +9.6% |
CAT earned $25.48 per share over the past year, up 31% from the year before.
FSTR Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.84 | +43% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.29 | +200% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.05 | -68% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.03 | -69% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.69 | -82% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.43 | -89% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.30 | +393% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.29 | +351% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.89 | +2892% |
FSTR has the edge over CAT on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CAT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20.7B | +17% |
| Q2 2026 | $20.5B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $17.4B | +22% |
| Q4 2025 | $19.1B | +18% |
| Q3 2025 | $17.6B | +9.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $16.6B | -0.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $14.2B | -9.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $16.2B | -5% |
CAT has the edge over FSTR on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 20% | +3.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 21% | +3.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 18% | -0.4 points |
| Q4 2025 | 14% | -4.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 17% | -2.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | -3.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 18% | -4.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 18% | -0.3 points |
CAT has the edge over FSTR on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
FSTR Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $168M | +21% |
| Q2 2026 | $138.6M | -3.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $121.1M | +24% |
| Q4 2025 | $160.4M | +25% |
| Q3 2025 | $138.3M | +0.6% |
| Q2 2025 | $143.6M | +2% |
| Q1 2025 | $97.8M | -21% |
| Q4 2024 | $128.2M | -5% |
FSTR's revenue has picked up after five years of holding roughly level: $168M last quarter, up 21% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 6% | 0 points |
| Q2 2026 | 4.4% | -0.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 1.7% | +3.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 4.9% | +2.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 6% | +0.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 5.3% | +2.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | -2% | -6.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 2.4% | +2.7 points |
FSTR's operating margin was 6% last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
CAT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.7B | +19% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.8B | +47% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.1B | +97% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.7B | +0.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.1B | -1.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | -4.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $579M | -63% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.7B | -22% |
CAT generated $11.3B in free cash flow over the past year, up 26% from the year before.
FSTR Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20.8M | -21% |
| Q2 2026 | $14.3M | +85% |
| Q1 2026 | -$13.4M | +$15.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $19.8M | -11% |
| Q3 2025 | $26.4M | +22% |
| Q2 2025 | $7.7M | +$14.7M |
| Q1 2025 | -$28.7M | -$4.6M |
| Q4 2024 | $22.3M | +12% |
FSTR has the edge over CAT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CAT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.3% | -1.6M shares |
| 1 year | -2.1% | -9.9M shares |
| 3 years | -10% | -51.7M shares |
| 5 years | -16% | -86.7M shares |
| Available history | -19% | -107M shares |
CAT has 461M diluted shares, down 2.1% from a year ago, with $8.1B in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.5B |
| Q1 2026 | $5B |
| Q4 2025 | $340M |
| Q3 2025 | $362M |
| Q2 2025 | $828M |
| Q1 2025 | $3.7B |
| Q4 2024 | $640M |
CAT spent $8.1B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 47% from the year before.
FSTR Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +40K shares |
| 1 year | -2.1% | -232K shares |
| 3 years | -3% | -325K shares |
| 5 years | -1.1% | -116K shares |
| Available history | 0% | +4K shares |
FSTR has 11M diluted shares, down 2.1% from a year ago, with $8M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | $417,000 |
| Q1 2026 | $3.8M |
| Q4 2025 | $3.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $4.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $2.3M |
| Q1 2025 | $6.1M |
| Q4 2024 | $2.5M |
FSTR spent $8M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 51% from the year before.
CAT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 2.0x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 1.6x | Healthy |
CAT has the edge over FSTR on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
FSTR Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | 1.8x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 2.6x | Moderate |
| Q1 2025 | 3.0x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 1.3x | Healthy |
FSTR's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 1.8 years a year ago.
CAT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 32.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 6.7 | Oversold |
CAT's weekly RSI is 33 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 7 (oversold).
FSTR Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 66.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 60.2 | Neutral |
FSTR's weekly RSI is 66 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 60 (neutral).
CAT PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | CAT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 24x | 24x | 1.3% below |
| PE % | 69 | 58 | 11 pts above |
CAT has the edge over FSTR on valuation relative to its sector.
FSTR PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | FSTR | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 33x | 24x | 39% above |
| PE % | 64 | 58 | 6 pts above |
FSTR is trading at 33x earnings, a 39% premium to the Industrials sector's median of 24x.
CAT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $709.0 | 15% below |
| 20 week MA | $797.0 | 24% below |
| 50 week MA | $771.3 | 22% below |
| 100 week MA | $586.7 | 3.2% above |
| 200 week MA | $443.1 | 37% above |
CAT has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 37% above its 200-week average.
FSTR Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $37.3 | 16% above |
| 20 week MA | $38.9 | 11% above |
| 50 week MA | $35.0 | 23% above |
| 100 week MA | $29.5 | 46% above |
| 200 week MA | $24.5 | 76% above |
FSTR has the edge over CAT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CAT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $148.3 | $179.6 | +21% |
| 2021 | $179.6 | $206.2 | +15% |
| 2022 | $206.2 | $239.9 | +16% |
| 2023 | $239.9 | $295.7 | +23% |
| 2024 | $295.7 | $364.9 | +23% |
| 2025 | $364.9 | $583.0 | +60% |
| 2026 YTD | $583.0 | $605.3 | +3.8% |
CAT has finished every year since 2020 higher, and it's up 3.8% so far in 2026.
FSTR Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $19.6 | $14.7 | -25% |
| 2021 | $14.7 | $13.1 | -11% |
| 2022 | $13.1 | $9.49 | -28% |
| 2023 | $9.49 | $22.0 | +132% |
| 2024 | $22.0 | $26.7 | +22% |
| 2025 | $26.7 | $28.5 | +6.5% |
| 2026 YTD | $28.5 | $43.1 | +51% |
FSTR has the edge over CAT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.