CAT vs MS: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Morgan Stanley — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-13.
Caterpillar Inc. · Industrials
$912.14
-47.9% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
VS
Morgan Stanley · Financial Services
$189.30
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MS has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
MS trades at a lower forward P/E
(16.4x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
CAT |
MS |
| Current Price |
$912.14 |
$189.30 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$475.00 |
$274.49 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-47.9%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$420.2B |
$300.6B |
| Forward P/E |
44.9x
|
16.4x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
30.0x
|
24.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
5.9x
|
2.5x
|
| Price / FCF |
36.7x
|
-16.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+22.2%
|
+18.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
32.5%
|
58.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
16.6%
|
19.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
47.5%
|
16.7%
|
| Dividend Yield |
1.5% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.73%
|
—
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, with diversified revenue across Construction Industries, Resource Industries, Energy & Transportation, and Cat Financial. Q1 2026 results reported April 30 showed revenue of $17.4 billion (+22.2% YoY) and EPS of $5.50 (+30.3% YoY), driven by powerful demand from data center build-outs (large engine and power gen…
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm operating in Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat supported by its systemically important status, diversified revenue streams, and strong management with a 36-year veteran CEO. Despite solid fundamentals including 14.2% revenue growth in 2025 and 16.7%…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
CAT |
MS |
| Zone Low |
$356.00 |
$205.87 |
| Zone High |
$404.00 |
$233.32 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|