CAT vs MLM
Caterpillar vs Martin Marietta Materials stock: which is the better buy?
Tickerday reads Caterpillar as a Hold at 50 and Martin Marietta Materials as a Hold at 62. Today, Martin Marietta Materials is the stronger call.
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CAT
Caterpillar
Hold50/100
Partly cloudy, with 55% confidence
A year from now: $780 (+6.7%)
MLM
Martin Marietta Materials
Hold62/100
Partly cloudy, with 60% confidence
A year from now: $660 (+9.2%)
Under the hood
Factor by factor
The six things Tickerday weighs, each scored 0 to 100. The higher of each pair is in its call's color.
Caterpillar
Martin Marietta Materials
Overall score
Valuation
Growth
Profitability
Momentum
Financial Health
Sentiment
Where they're headed
Price targets
Each target is measured from the price on the day its stock was read.
Caterpillar
Martin Marietta Materials
Price when read
CAT$730.76 · Oct 17, 2026
MLM$604.18 · Jun 24, 2026
Next week
CAT$735 (+0.6%)
MLM$610 (+1.0%)
Next month
CAT$750 (+2.6%)
MLM$622 (+3.0%)
Next year
CAT$780 (+6.7%)
MLM$660 (+9.2%)
The numbers
Key numbers
Caterpillar
Martin Marietta Materials
Market Cap
CAT$335.9B
MLM$36.3B
P / E Ratio
CAT30.9
MLM14.3
Rev. Growth
CAT+18.4%
MLM-1.3%
Net Margin
CAT+14.5%
MLM+38.7%
Debt / Equity
CAT2.33
MLM0.47
Dividend Yield
CAT0.8%
MLM0.5%
Beta
CAT1.59
MLM1.09
52-Wk Range
CAT$510 – $1073
MLM$525 – $711
The argument
The case for and against
Every call has a case against it. Here are both sides, for each stock.
Caterpillar CAT
The case for
- Revenue is growing at a very strong pace of 18.4%.
- Profitability is solid, with a net margin of 14.5%.
The case against
- The stock's price has fallen sharply in the last month, showing poor momentum.
- A high debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33 adds financial risk.
Martin Marietta Materials MLM
The case for
- The stock's P/E ratio of 14.3 is low, suggesting it may be undervalued compared to its earnings.
- Financial health is strong, with a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.
The case against
- Revenue has declined by 1.3% recently, indicating a potential slowdown in sales.
- The exceptionally high net margin and low P/E may be distorted by a one-time event, not ongoing operations.
Tickerday's reads are educational analysis, the same for everyone, not financial advice. Caterpillar was read on Oct 17, 2026 and Martin Marietta Materials on Jun 24, 2026; each one's page has the full forecast.
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Called it. Then it happened.
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Palantir Technologies Inc
+52.3%
✓Called it
We said Buy at $122.33 on Jul 30. A month later the price was $186.29.
Graded Aug 28 at the closing price
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