RAIL vs. CAT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FreightCar America, Inc. (RAIL) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT).

Performance

RAIL vs. CAT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FreightCar America, Inc. (RAIL) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

RAIL vs. CAT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
RAIL FreightCar America, Inc.	-28.00%	23.55%	231.85%	-15.63%	-13.28%	53.11%	16.43%	-69.06%	-60.83%	16.26%
CAT Caterpillar Inc.	23.96%	60.30%	24.66%	25.95%	18.60%	15.95%	26.97%	19.51%	-17.56%	75.03%

Fundamentals

Market Cap RAIL : $254.10M CAT : $332.27B
EPS RAIL : $1.18 CAT : $18.86
PE Ratio RAIL : 6.77 CAT : 37.56
PEG Ratio RAIL : 0.09 CAT : 2.48
PS Ratio RAIL : 0.52 CAT : 4.93
Total Revenue (TTM) RAIL : $500.99M CAT : $67.59B
Gross Profit (TTM) RAIL : $73.19M CAT : $21.86B
EBITDA (TTM) RAIL : $20.96M CAT : $14.51B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, RAIL achieves a -28.00% return, which is significantly lower than CAT's 23.96% return. Over the past 10 years, RAIL has underperformed CAT with an annualized return of -5.90%, while CAT has yielded a comparatively higher 27.85% annualized return.

RAIL

• 1D: 1.40%
• 1M: -42.37%
• YTD: -28.00%
• 6M: -18.51%
• 1Y: 44.12%
• 3Y*: 36.70%
• 5Y*: 3.69%
• 10Y*: -5.90%

CAT

• 1D: 6.15%
• 1M: -4.63%
• YTD: 23.96%
• 6M: 49.25%
• 1Y: 117.77%
• 3Y*: 48.13%
• 5Y*: 27.26%
• 10Y*: 27.85%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

RAIL vs. CAT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

RAIL

RAIL Risk / Return Rank: 63
RAIL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 64
RAIL Sortino Ratio Rank: 66
RAIL Omega Ratio Rank: 62
RAIL Calmar Ratio Rank: 62
RAIL Martin Ratio Rank: 61

CAT

CAT Risk / Return Rank: 97
CAT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
CAT Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
CAT Omega Ratio Rank: 96
CAT Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
CAT Martin Ratio Rank: 98

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

RAIL vs. CAT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FreightCar America, Inc. (RAIL) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	RAIL	CAT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.63	3.42	-2.80
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.39	4.04	-2.65
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.54	-0.38
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.88	6.50	-5.61
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.02	22.99	-20.96
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

RAIL vs. CAT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current RAIL Sharpe Ratio is 0.63, which is lower than the CAT Sharpe Ratio of 3.42. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of RAIL and CAT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	RAIL	CAT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.63	3.42	-2.80
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.05	0.92	-0.87
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.08	0.92	-1.00
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.06	0.34	-0.40

Correlation

The correlation between RAIL and CAT is 0.41, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

RAIL vs. CAT - Dividend Comparison

RAIL has not paid dividends to shareholders, while CAT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.84%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
RAIL FreightCar America, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	1.58%	2.41%	1.85%
CAT Caterpillar Inc.	0.84%	1.02%	1.49%	1.69%	1.93%	2.07%	2.26%	2.56%	2.58%	1.97%	3.32%	4.33%

Drawdowns

RAIL vs. CAT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum RAIL drawdown since its inception was -98.88%, which is greater than CAT's maximum drawdown of -73.43%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for RAIL and CAT.

Drawdown Indicators

	RAIL	CAT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-98.88%	-73.43%	-25.45%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-46.89%	-18.14%	-28.75%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-71.67%	-34.05%	-37.62%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-96.23%	-43.36%	-52.87%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-88.29%	-8.59%	-79.70%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-71.72%	-19.79%	-51.93%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	20.41%	5.13%	+15.28%

Volatility

RAIL vs. CAT - Volatility Comparison

FreightCar America, Inc. (RAIL) has a higher volatility of 25.23% compared to Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) at 12.02%. This indicates that RAIL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CAT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	RAIL	CAT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	25.23%	12.02%	+13.21%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	48.38%	26.33%	+22.05%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	70.69%	34.60%	+36.09%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	74.36%	29.76%	+44.60%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	73.86%	30.52%	+43.34%

Financials

RAIL vs. CAT - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between FreightCar America, Inc. and Caterpillar Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

RAIL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, FreightCar America, Inc. reported a gross profit of 16.77M and revenue of 125.57M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 13.4%.

CAT - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Caterpillar Inc. reported a gross profit of 5.48B and revenue of 19.13B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 28.6%.

RAIL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, FreightCar America, Inc. reported an operating income of 7.78M and revenue of 125.57M, resulting in an operating margin of 6.2%.

CAT - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Caterpillar Inc. reported an operating income of 2.66B and revenue of 19.13B, resulting in an operating margin of 13.9%.

RAIL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, FreightCar America, Inc. reported a net income of -16.58M and revenue of 125.57M, resulting in a net margin of -13.2%.

CAT - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Caterpillar Inc. reported a net income of 2.40B and revenue of 19.13B, resulting in a net margin of 12.6%.