CAT
Caterpillar Inc.
CAT has the edge over POOL overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
POOL
Pool Corporation
POOL 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.
POOL Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
POOL'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'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.
POOL PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 19x | $209 | -2.4% |
| Forward | 19x | $214 | — |
| Current | 20x | $214 | — |
| Fair | 28x | $307 | +43% |
| Expensive | 38x | $409 | +91% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
POOL 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 | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
CAT has the edge over POOL on the outlook, with more favorable valuation and earnings expectations.
POOL Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect POOL's earnings, revenue and profitability to hold roughly steady.
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 POOL on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
POOL Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $11.38 | +4.6% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.88 | -1% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.88 | +0.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $10.88 | +1.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.85 | -4% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.99 | -5.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.86 | -8.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $10.68 | -16% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.30 | -15% |
POOL's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $10.88 over the past year, against $19.47 in late 2022.
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 POOL 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 POOL on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
POOL Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.5B | +3.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.8B | +2.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.1B | +6.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $982.2M | -0.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.5B | +1.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.8B | +0.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.1B | -4.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $987.5M | -1.6% |
POOL's revenue fell from its 2022 peak and has held roughly level since: $1.5B last quarter, up 3.7% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 11% | -0.8 points |
| Q2 2026 | 15% | -0.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 7.3% | 0 points |
| Q4 2025 | 5.3% | -0.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 12% | 0 points |
| Q2 2025 | 15% | -0.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 7.2% | -2.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 6.1% | -1.8 points |
POOL's operating margin was 11% last quarter, down 0.8 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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 has the edge over POOL on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
POOL Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $407.4M | +53% |
| Q2 2026 | -$54.5M | -$11.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $17.1M | +23% |
| Q4 2025 | $71.9M | -54% |
| Q3 2025 | $266.6M | -13% |
| Q2 2025 | -$42.9M | -589% |
| Q1 2025 | $13.9M | -89% |
| Q4 2024 | $157M | +30% |
POOL still generates free cash flow, though less than at its 2026 peak: $442M 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.
POOL Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.6% | -209K shares |
| 1 year | -3.5% | -1.3M shares |
| 3 years | -7.9% | -3.1M shares |
| 5 years | -12% | -4.8M shares |
| Available history | -12% | -4.9M shares |
POOL has the edge over CAT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $111.6M |
| Q2 2026 | $22M |
| Q1 2026 | $64.4M |
| Q4 2025 | $182.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $3.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $104.3M |
| Q1 2025 | $56.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $146.9M |
POOL spent $380M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 22% 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 POOL on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
POOL Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q3 2024 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q2 2024 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2024 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q4 2023 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q3 2023 | 1.2x | Healthy |
POOL's net debt is about 1.7 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 1.5 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).
POOL Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 58.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 88.4 | Overbought |
POOL's weekly RSI is 58 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 88 (overbought).
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.
POOL PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | POOL | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 20x | 24x | 18% below |
| PE % | 20 | 58 | 38 pts below |
POOL has the edge over CAT on valuation relative to its sector.
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.
POOL Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $186.2 | 15% above |
| 20 week MA | $189.7 | 13% above |
| 50 week MA | $208.3 | 2.9% above |
| 100 week MA | $259.5 | 17% below |
| 200 week MA | $309.9 | 31% below |
POOL 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 POOL on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
POOL Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $213.3 | $364.7 | +71% |
| 2021 | $364.7 | $549.7 | +51% |
| 2022 | $549.7 | $305.6 | -44% |
| 2023 | $305.6 | $398.7 | +30% |
| 2024 | $398.7 | $345.1 | -13% |
| 2025 | $345.1 | $232.5 | -33% |
| 2026 YTD | $232.5 | $214.2 | -7.8% |
POOL has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's down 7.8% so far in 2026.