Caterpillar Stock Looks Expensive Until You Price The Backlog, And Then The Margins

Caterpillar (CAT) has nearly doubled over the past year, and it trades near $820 a share, about 36 times its last twelve months of adjusted earnings. That is normalized net income with stock-based compensation added back, meant to sit closer to the basis analysts use than a GAAP figure would, though the two are not defined identically. The multiple is steep for a maker of construction equipment and engines. It reads differently against the earnings analysts expect.