CAT
Caterpillar Inc.
CAT has a slight edge over HURN overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
HURN
Huron Consulting Group Inc.
HURN 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.
HURN Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Under pressure |
HURN's revenue and profitability are currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable, but its balance sheet is under pressure.
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's PE is in its expensive range at 24x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 20x next year's earnings, in its fair range.
HURN PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 17x | $167 | — |
| Cheap | 18x | $121 | -28% |
| Current | 25x | $167 | — |
| Fair | 26x | $172 | +3.1% |
| Expensive | 37x | $247 | +48% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
HURN has the edge over CAT in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
CAT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for CAT, with profitability improving. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
HURN Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for HURN, with profitability improving.
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.
HURN Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $10.13 | +51% |
| Q3 2026 | $6.71 | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $6.67 | +17% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.85 | -12% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.84 | -6.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.95 | +30% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.71 | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.65 | +92% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.27 | +97% |
HURN 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's revenue has grown year over year for five quarters in a row: $20.7B last quarter, up 17% from the same quarter a year ago.
| 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 HURN on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
HURN Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $491.5M | +11% |
| Q2 2026 | $475M | +15% |
| Q1 2026 | $451.8M | +12% |
| Q4 2025 | $442M | +11% |
| Q3 2025 | $441.3M | +17% |
| Q2 2025 | $411.8M | +8.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $404.1M | +11% |
| Q4 2024 | $399.3M | +14% |
HURN's revenue has grown year over year for 22 quarters in a row: $491M last quarter, up 11% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 12% | +0.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 11% | -0.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8.1% | 0 points |
| Q4 2025 | 11% | -0.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 11% | +0.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 11% | -4.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8.1% | +2.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 12% | +3.3 points |
HURN's operating margin was 12% last quarter, up 0.6 points from 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.
HURN Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $53.3M | -41% |
| Q2 2026 | $115.2M | +48% |
| Q1 2026 | -$167.8M | -$59.2M |
| Q4 2025 | $123.8M | -9.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $89.8M | +8.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $78M | -26% |
| Q1 2025 | -$108.7M | +$23.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $137M | +80% |
HURN still generates free cash flow, though less than at its 2024 peak: $124M over the past year.
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.
HURN Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.7% | -122K shares |
| 1 year | -8.6% | -1.5M shares |
| 3 years | -16% | -3.2M shares |
| 5 years | -24% | -5.3M shares |
| Available history | -28% | -6.4M shares |
HURN has the edge over CAT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $27M |
| Q2 2026 | $53.5M |
| Q1 2026 | $153.1M |
| Q4 2025 | $13.6M |
| Q3 2025 | $18.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $69.1M |
| Q1 2025 | $65.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $18.5M |
HURN spent $247M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 44% 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 HURN on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
HURN Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 3.4x | Elevated |
| Q2 2026 | 3.6x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 2.9x | Moderate |
| Q2 2025 | 3.1x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 2.7x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 1.7x | Healthy |
HURN's net debt is about 3.4 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 2.9 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).
HURN Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 56.6 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 56.4 | Neutral |
HURN's weekly RSI is 57 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 56 (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 HURN on valuation relative to its sector.
HURN PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | HURN | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 25x | 24x | 3.5% above |
| PE % | 44 | 58 | 14 pts below |
HURN is trading at 25x earnings, in line with 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.
HURN Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $173.3 | 3.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $152.9 | 9.4% above |
| 50 week MA | $144.4 | 16% above |
| 100 week MA | $142.4 | 17% above |
| 200 week MA | $119.4 | 40% above |
HURN 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 the edge over HURN on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
HURN Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $68.3 | $57.4 | -16% |
| 2021 | $57.4 | $48.9 | -15% |
| 2022 | $48.9 | $72.4 | +48% |
| 2023 | $72.4 | $102.8 | +42% |
| 2024 | $102.8 | $123.0 | +20% |
| 2025 | $123.0 | $180.7 | +47% |
| 2026 YTD | $180.7 | $167.2 | -7.5% |
HURN has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's down 7.5% so far in 2026.