CAT vs VST: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Vistra Corp. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-21.
Caterpillar Inc. · Industrials
$808.99
-2.2% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Vistra Corp. · Utilities
$140.67
-23.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
CAT has more upside to fair value
(-2.2%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
CAT |
VST |
| Current Price |
$808.99 |
$140.67 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$790.88 |
$108.27 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-2.2%
|
-23.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$372.6B |
$47.4B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
23.6x
|
10.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
5.0x
|
3.0x
|
| Price / FCF |
41.4x
|
34.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+24.0%
|
-5.5%
|
| Gross Margin |
33.9%
|
13.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
17.5%
|
2.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
54.1%
|
41.5%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.76% |
0.65% |
| FCF Yield |
2.41%
|
2.88%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Caterpillar is the world's premier manufacturer of heavy construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas power units, and industrial gas turbines, organized across Construction Industries, Resource Industries, Energy & Transportation, and Financial Products, with 118,000 employees and a century-old brand. Business quality is high: return on equity of 54.1%, TTM operating margin of 17.5%…
Vistra Corp. is a vertically integrated independent power producer and retail electricity supplier operating roughly 38,700 megawatts of generation across natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery storage, serving about 4.3 million retail customers in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The business quality is mixed: the diversified PJM and ERCOT fleet plus retail load is a genuine struc…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
CAT |
VST |
| Zone Low |
$593.16 |
$81.20 |
| Zone High |
$672.25 |
$92.03 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|