Which is better, CAT or GWW?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) currently grades higher than GWW — 64/100 (C grade) vs 63/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — CAT wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, and Peter Lynch; GWW wins on Charlie Munger and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy CAT or GWW?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both CAT and GWW are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is CAT better than GWW for value investing?

The two are close on the headline Buffett-Fit score (64/100 vs 63/100), so "better for value investing" depends on which pillar you weight most. The five Buffett pillars + six other frameworks are broken down side-by-side on this page so you can pick the one that fits your style.

What's the difference between CAT and GWW on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). CAT currently scores 64/100 (C grade); GWW scores 63/100 (C grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, CAT or GWW?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. CAT and GWW are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, CAT or GWW?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are CAT and GWW both Industrials stocks?

Yes — both Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) operate in the Industrials sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this CAT vs GWW comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Caterpillar

W.W. Grainger

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

CAT

Caterpillar

Market cap

$399.52B

Sector

Industrials

GWW

W.W. Grainger

Market cap

$58.21B

Sector

Industrials

Overall winner

Caterpillar CAT

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	CAT	GWW	Winner
Warren Buffett	64C	63C	CAT
Benjamin Graham	89A	82A	CAT
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	CAT	GWW
Market cap	$399.52B	$58.21B
P/E (TTM)	42.7x	33.8x
EV/EBIT	39.1x	23.1x
ROIC (TTM)	12.44%	26.4%
Gross margin	32.52%	39.15%
Net margin	13.31%	9.7%
Revenue CAGR 5y	7.31%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

CAT leads on

Market cap$399.52Bvs $58.21B+85%
Net margin13.31%vs 9.7%+27%

GWW leads on

Debt / Equity0.7xvs 2.3x+69%

More like CAT

CAT vs CTAS CAT vs FAST CAT vs RELX CAT vs OMAB CAT vs TT CAT vs CSW

More like GWW

GWW vs CTAS

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.