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Side-by-side financial comparison of American Express (AXP) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Caterpillar Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($19.1B vs $10.9B, roughly 1.7× American Express). American Express runs the higher net margin — 22.5% vs 12.5%, a 10.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Caterpillar Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (18.0% vs 9.9%). Caterpillar Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($2.7B vs $2.3B). Over the past eight quarters, Caterpillar Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (10.0% CAGR vs 8.2%).
American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services. The company's products an...
Caterpillar Inc. is an American construction, mining, and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the Fortune 500 list and number 265 on the Global Fortune 500 list. Caterpillar stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
AXP vs CAT — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $10.9B | $19.1B |
| Net Profit | $2.5B | $2.4B |
| Gross Margin | — | 30.5% |
| Operating Margin | 28.2% | 13.9% |
| Net Margin | 22.5% | 12.5% |
| Revenue YoY | 9.9% | 18.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | 13.5% | -13.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | $3.52 | $5.11 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $10.9B | $19.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.4B | $17.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $10.3B | $16.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $9.6B | $14.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $10.0B | $16.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.7B | $16.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $9.8B | $16.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.3B | $15.8B |
| Q4 25 | $2.5B | $2.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.9B | $2.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.9B | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.6B | $2.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.2B | $2.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.5B | $2.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.0B | $2.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.4B | $2.9B |
| Q4 25 | — | 30.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 33.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 34.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 37.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 36.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 37.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 39.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 38.8% |
| Q4 25 | 28.2% | 13.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 36.7% | 17.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 34.4% | 17.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 34.6% | 18.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 27.7% | 18.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 33.0% | 19.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 38.6% | 20.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 33.7% | 22.3% |
| Q4 25 | 22.5% | 12.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 27.9% | 13.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 28.0% | 13.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 26.8% | 14.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 21.8% | 17.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 25.8% | 15.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 30.7% | 16.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 26.1% | 18.1% |
| Q4 25 | $3.52 | $5.11 | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.14 | $4.88 | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.08 | $4.62 | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.64 | $4.20 | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.04 | $5.76 | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.49 | $5.06 | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.15 | $5.48 | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.33 | $5.75 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $742.0M | $10.0B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $56.4B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $33.5B | $21.3B |
| Total Assets | $300.1B | $98.6B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.68× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $742.0M | $10.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | $7.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $197.0M | $5.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $261.0M | $3.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $221.0M | $6.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.0M | $5.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $188.0M | $4.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | $69.0M | $5.0B |
| Q4 25 | $56.4B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $57.8B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $58.2B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $51.2B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $49.7B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $53.5B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $51.5B | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $48.8B | — |
| Q4 25 | $33.5B | $21.3B | ||
| Q3 25 | $32.4B | $20.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $32.3B | $18.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $31.2B | $18.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $30.3B | $19.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $29.7B | $19.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $29.5B | $17.1B | ||
| Q1 24 | $28.8B | $17.6B |
| Q4 25 | $300.1B | $98.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $297.6B | $93.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $295.6B | $90.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $282.2B | $85.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $271.5B | $87.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $271.0B | $86.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $272.2B | $83.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | $269.3B | $83.7B |
| Q4 25 | 1.68× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.78× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.80× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.64× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.64× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.80× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.74× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.70× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $3.1B | $3.6B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $2.3B | $2.7B |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 21.4% | 14.1% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 6.6% | 4.7% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.25× | 1.50× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $16.0B | $8.9B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $3.1B | $3.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.2B | $3.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.4B | $3.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.8B | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.8B | $3.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-1.8B | $3.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.5B | $3.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.6B | $2.1B |
| Q4 25 | $2.3B | $2.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.6B | $3.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.7B | $2.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3B | $579.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.3B | $2.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-2.3B | $3.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0B | $2.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.2B | $1.6B |
| Q4 25 | 21.4% | 14.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 53.6% | 17.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 36.3% | 15.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 45.0% | 4.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 53.1% | 16.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -23.3% | 19.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 40.4% | 16.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 55.2% | 9.8% |
| Q4 25 | 6.6% | 4.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.3% | 3.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.0% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.5% | 5.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.0% | 4.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.7% | 2.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.8% | 2.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.2% | 3.2% |
| Q4 25 | 1.25× | 1.50× | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.15× | 1.63× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.51× | 1.43× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.84× | 0.64× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.66× | 1.22× | ||
| Q3 24 | -0.72× | 1.45× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.50× | 1.13× | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.28× | 0.72× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
AXP
| US Consumer Services Segment | $4.2B | 38% |
| Commercial Services Segment | $3.1B | 28% |
| International Card Services Segment | $2.1B | 19% |
| Global Merchant And Network Services Segment | $1.7B | 15% |
| Financial Service Other | $471.0M | 4% |
CAT
| Construction Industries | $6.9B | 36% |
| Resource Industries | $3.4B | 18% |
| Powergeneration | $3.2B | 17% |
| Oil And Gas Customer | $2.4B | 13% |
| Financial Products Segment | $1.1B | 6% |
| Industrial | $967.0M | 5% |
| Financial Products | $931.0M | 5% |
| Related Party | $190.0M | 1% |
