CAT vs XOM: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Caterpillar Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corporation 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
Exxon Mobil Corporation Β· Energy
$154.46
-40.5% upside to fair value
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
XOM has more upside to fair value (-40.5%). XOM trades at a lower forward P/E (23.2x). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric CAT XOM
Current Price $912.14 $154.46
Fair Value Estimate $475.00 $91.87
Upside to Fair Value -47.9% -40.5%
Market Cap $420.2B $642.0B
Forward P/E 44.9x 23.2x
EV / EBITDA 30.0x 10.3x
Price / Sales 5.9x 2.0x
Price / FCF 36.7x 27.2x
Revenue Growth YoY +22.2% -1.3%
Gross Margin 32.5% 21.7%
Operating Margin 16.6% 10.5%
Return on Equity 47.5% 11.0%
Dividend Yield 1.5% 0%
FCF Yield 2.73% 3.68%
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…
XOM β€” Exxon Mobil Corporation
Exxon Mobil Corporation operates as a global integrated oil and gas company with significant operations in upstream, energy products, chemical products, and specialty products segments. The company benefits from a highly experienced management team with decades of internal tenure, led by CEO Darren Woods. Despite strong cash flow generation and operational scale, Exxon is currently overvalued, tr…
Accumulation Zones
Metric CAT XOM
Zone Low $356.00 $68.90
Zone High $404.00 $78.09
In Buy Zone? No No
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