CAT vs PLTR: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Palantir Technologies Inc. β€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-05-13.
Caterpillar Inc. Β· Industrials
$912.14
-47.9% upside to fair value
Grade D High Quality
VS
Palantir Technologies Inc. Β· Technology
$133.79
-41.7% upside to fair value
Grade C High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
PLTR has more upside to fair value (-41.7%). CAT trades at a lower forward P/E (44.9x). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric CAT PLTR
Current Price $912.14 $133.79
Fair Value Estimate $475.00 $78.04
Upside to Fair Value -47.9% -41.7%
Market Cap $420.2B $306.6B
Forward P/E 44.9x 140.4x
EV / EBITDA 30.0x 151.4x
Price / Sales 5.9x 58.7x
Price / FCF 36.7x 114.0x
Revenue Growth YoY +22.2% +84.7%
Gross Margin 32.5% 84.1%
Operating Margin 16.6% 38.1%
Return on Equity 47.5% 32.2%
Dividend Yield 1.5% 0%
FCF Yield 2.73% 0.88%
Analyst Consensus Hold Buy
Investment Thesis
CAT β€” Caterpillar Inc.
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…
PLTR β€” Palantir Technologies Inc.
Palantir Technologies Inc. is a high-growth enterprise software company specializing in data analytics and intelligence platforms for government and commercial clients. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat through its established government contracts, proprietary platforms Gotham and Foundry, and expanding commercial footprint. Palantir's revenue grew 84.7% year-over-year in the m…
Accumulation Zones
Metric CAT PLTR
Zone Low $356.00 $58.53
Zone High $404.00 $66.33
In Buy Zone? No No
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