CAT vs JNJ: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Johnson & Johnson โ€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-04-11.
Caterpillar Inc. ยท Industrials
$792.65
-8.8% upside to fair value
Grade D
VS
Johnson & Johnson ยท Healthcare
$238.46
-11.8% upside to fair value
Med Conviction Grade C+
QuantHub Verdict
CAT has more upside to fair value (-8.8%). JNJ trades at a lower forward P/E (20.2x). These are model outputs โ€” not personalized investment advice. See all research โ†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric CAT JNJ
Current Price $792.65 $238.46
Fair Value Estimate $723.13 $210.28
Upside to Fair Value -8.8% -11.8%
Market Cap $370.9B $574.7B
Forward P/E 41.7x 20.2x
EV / EBITDA 27.2x 13.3x
Price / Sales 5.5x 6.2x
Price / FCF 36.1x 29.4x
Revenue Growth YoY +8.5% +6.1%
Gross Margin 32.3% 72.8%
Operating Margin 16.6% 27.2%
Return on Equity 45.1% 32.87%
Dividend Yield 0% 2.18%
FCF Yield 2.77% 3.4%
Analyst Consensus Buy Moderate Buy
Investment Thesis
CAT โ€” Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, engines, and industrial machinery, with a strong global footprint and a record $67.6 billion in revenues for 2025. The company benefits from a durable competitive position supported by a broad product portfolio and a large installed base, but faces margin pressure from tariffs and cost inflation. Despite soโ€ฆ
JNJ โ€” Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is a high-quality healthcare conglomerate focused exclusively on Innovative Medicine and MedTech following the Kenvue spin-off. The company delivered $94.2B in FY2025 revenue with 6% operational growth, generated $19.7B in free cash flow, and guided for $99.5-100.5B in 2026 operational sales (above consensus). However, at $238 the stock trades at a P/S of 6.15x, well above the 5โ€ฆ
Accumulation Zones
Metric CAT JNJ
Zone Low $542.35 $157.71
Zone High $614.66 $178.74
In Buy Zone? No No
โ† CAT Research    JNJ Research โ†’    All Research