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Side-by-side financial comparison of Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and Lowe's (LOW). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Caterpillar Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($85.0B vs $20.8B, roughly 4.1× Lowe's). On growth, Lowe's posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (3.2% vs -17.7%). Over the past eight quarters, Caterpillar Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (125.7% CAGR vs -8.7%).
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.
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and its related businesses operated 2,181 home improvement and hardware stores in North America.
CAT vs LOW — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $85.0B | $20.8B |
| Net Profit | — | $1.6B |
| Gross Margin | 89.5% | 34.2% |
| Operating Margin | 3.0% | 11.9% |
| Net Margin | — | 7.8% |
| Revenue YoY | -17.7% | 3.2% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | -4.7% |
| EPS (diluted) | $4.20 | $2.88 |
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.
| Q1 26 | $85.0B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $19.1B | $20.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $17.6B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $16.6B | $20.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $14.2B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $16.2B | $20.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $16.1B | $23.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $16.7B | $21.4B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.4B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.3B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.2B | $1.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.0B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.8B | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.5B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.7B | $1.8B |
| Q1 26 | 89.5% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 30.5% | 34.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 33.8% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 34.8% | 33.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 37.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 36.3% | 33.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 37.5% | 33.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 39.2% | 33.2% |
| Q1 26 | 3.0% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 13.9% | 11.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 17.3% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 17.3% | 11.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 18.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 18.0% | 12.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 19.5% | 14.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 20.9% | 12.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 12.5% | 7.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 13.0% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 13.2% | 7.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 14.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.2% | 8.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 15.3% | 10.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 16.1% | 8.2% |
| Q1 26 | $4.20 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.11 | $2.88 | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.88 | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.62 | $2.92 | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.20 | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.76 | $2.99 | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.06 | $4.17 | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.48 | $3.06 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $10.0M | $1.0B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $0 | $37.5B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $21.3M | $-10.4B |
| Total Assets | $98.6M | $53.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.00× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $10.0M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $10.0B | $1.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.5B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.4B | $3.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.6B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.9B | $3.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.6B | $4.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.3B | $3.5B |
| Q1 26 | $0 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $37.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $30.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $32.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $34.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $34.6B |
| Q1 26 | $21.3M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $21.3B | $-10.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $20.7B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $18.7B | $-13.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $18.1B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $19.5B | $-13.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $19.4B | $-13.8B | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.1B | $-14.6B |
| Q1 26 | $98.6M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $98.6B | $53.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $93.7B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $90.3B | $45.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $85.0B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $87.8B | $44.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $86.3B | $44.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $83.3B | $45.4B |
| Q1 26 | 0.00× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
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 | — | $687.0M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $90.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 0.4% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 835.3% | 2.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 0.43× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $6.4B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.6B | $687.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.7B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.1B | $3.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.4B | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.6B | $3.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.0B | $4.3B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.7B | $90.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.1B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.6B | $2.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $579.0M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.7B | $728.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1B | $2.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.7B | $3.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 14.1% | 0.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 17.5% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 15.5% | 13.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.1% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 16.6% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 19.4% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 16.1% | 18.2% |
| Q1 26 | 835.3% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.7% | 2.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.7% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.3% | 2.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.0% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 4.3% | 2.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.8% | 1.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.0% | 1.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.50× | 0.43× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.63× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.43× | 2.06× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.64× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.22× | 0.77× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.45× | 1.32× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.13× | 2.43× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CAT
Segment breakdown not available.
LOW
| Home Decor | $7.8B | 37% |
| Building Products | $6.9B | 33% |
| Hardlines | $5.1B | 25% |
| Services | $753.0M | 4% |
| Other | $384.0M | 2% |
