CAT
Caterpillar Inc.
CAT has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
LITE
Lumentum Holdings Inc.
LITE has the edge over CAT overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
CAT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
CAT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
LITE Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
LITE's revenue, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its profitability 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'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.
LITE PE Valuation
LITE has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
CAT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for CAT, with profitability improving. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
LITE Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for LITE, with profitability improving.
CAT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $29.73 | +17% |
| 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 has the edge over LITE on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
LITE Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $29.10 | — |
| Q3 2026 | -$89.47 | -5589% |
| Q2 2026 | -$92.96 | -25224% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.54 | +$12.02 |
| Q4 2025 | $3.40 | +$11.12 |
| Q3 2025 | $1.63 | +$9.94 |
| Q2 2025 | $0.37 | +$8.49 |
| Q1 2025 | -$6.48 | -$1.22 |
| Q4 2024 | -$7.72 | -$3.77 |
LITE has swung to a loss: it lost $89.47 per share over the past year, after a profit the year before.
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's operating margin was 20% last quarter, up 3.1 points from the same quarter a year ago.
LITE Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.3B | +137% |
| Q2 2026 | $1B | +109% |
| Q1 2026 | $808.4M | +90% |
| Q4 2025 | $665.5M | +65% |
| Q3 2025 | $533.8M | +58% |
| Q2 2025 | $480.7M | +56% |
| Q1 2025 | $425.2M | +16% |
| Q4 2024 | $402.2M | +9.7% |
LITE has the edge over CAT on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 29% | +27 points |
| Q2 2026 | 28% | +30 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | +31 points |
| Q4 2025 | 9.7% | +23 points |
| Q3 2025 | 1.3% | +26 points |
| Q2 2025 | -1.8% | +42 points |
| Q1 2025 | -8.9% | +22 points |
| Q4 2024 | -13% | +16 points |
LITE has the edge over CAT on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
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.
LITE Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $37.9M | +$56.2M |
| Q2 2026 | $196.2M | +1843% |
| Q1 2026 | $79.1M | +$143.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $43.1M | +$59M |
| Q3 2025 | -$18.3M | +$16.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $10.1M | -7.3% |
| Q1 2025 | -$64.4M | -$37.8M |
| Q4 2024 | -$15.9M | +$16.6M |
LITE 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 the edge over LITE on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| 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.
LITE Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +5.7% | +5.5M shares |
| 1 year | +46% | +32.1M shares |
| 3 years | +49% | +33.4M shares |
| 5 years | +31% | +24.2M shares |
| Available history | +30% | +23.7M shares |
LITE has 102M diluted shares, up 46% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | — |
| Q4 2023 | — |
| Q3 2023 | — |
| Q2 2023 | $139.8M |
| Q1 2023 | — |
| Q4 2022 | — |
| Q3 2022 | $35.8M |
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 LITE on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
LITE Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 7.9x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 21.6x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 22.7x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 27.9x | High |
| Q3 2023 | -34.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2023 | -7.2x | Net Cash |
LITE's net debt is about 1.3 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from more than 20 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).
LITE Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 42.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 22.8 | Neutral |
LITE's weekly RSI is 42 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 23 (neutral).
CAT PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | CAT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 24x | 24x | 1.1% below |
| PE % | 69 | 58 | 11 pts above |
CAT is trading at 24x earnings, in line with the Industrials sector's median of 24x.
LITE PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | LITE | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | N/A | 28x | — |
LITE has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
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.
LITE Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $839.3 | 26% below |
| 20 week MA | $838.6 | 26% below |
| 50 week MA | $732.7 | 15% below |
| 100 week MA | $422.7 | 48% above |
| 200 week MA | $237.9 | 163% above |
LITE has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 163% above its 200-week average.
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.
LITE Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $79.0 | $98.3 | +24% |
| 2021 | $98.3 | $104.5 | +6.3% |
| 2022 | $104.5 | $50.6 | -52% |
| 2023 | $50.6 | $52.4 | +3.7% |
| 2024 | $52.4 | $84.4 | +61% |
| 2025 | $84.4 | $390.8 | +363% |
| 2026 YTD | $390.8 | $624.7 | +60% |
LITE has the edge over CAT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.