What was Caterpillar's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2017?

Caterpillar's CAGR from 2017 to September 2026 was 27.7% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Caterpillar significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Caterpillar compare to the S&P 500 since 2017?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2017 would be worth approximately $4,022.42 today. Caterpillar outperformed the index by $6,823.39 — 2.70x the return of the S&P 500.

How much of the Caterpillar gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $9,845.81 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $9,368.94. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $8,502.51, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Caterpillar since 2017?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2017, the real purchasing-power value of the Caterpillar position is approximately $8,154.32 in 2017 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.

How did Caterpillar perform in 2017?

Caterpillar rose 72% during 2017, from $76.14 at the start of the year to $131.05 at the start of 2018.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Caterpillar in 2017?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$10,846

+$9,846 profit10.8x27.7% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,022

Its shares paid about $80.90 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$9,369

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$10,845.81

Total Profit

$9,845.81

Multiplier

10.8x

CAGR

27.7%

Max Drawdown

-30.0%

Inflation-Adjusted

$8,154.32

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2017 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Caterpillar	$10,845.81	10.8x
S&P 500	$4,022.42	4.02x
Gold	$3,650.04	3.65x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,212.82	1.21x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 13.13 shares you'd own now paid about $80.90 in dividends (about $6.74 a month). That's 8.1% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $8,786; reinvested dividends added the other $2,060, 21% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2017

In March 2017, federal law enforcement agents searched three Caterpillar locations in the Peoria, Illinois, area, and the company said it was cooperating with authorities. fortune.com
In 2017, a gallon of gas averaged $2.42, a movie ticket averaged $8.97 and the new iPhone X started at $999. eia.gov apple.com deadline.com
During 2017 itself, Caterpillar rose 72%, #15 of the 87 investments we track. The best was XRP (+36,408%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−54%). Full 2017 results →

$1,000 in Caterpillar, year by year

Of the 87 investments we track that were available at the start of 2017, Caterpillar ranks #17 by growth to today — just behind Apple and ahead of Microsoft. See the full 2017 ranking →

Caterpillar started 2017 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 44% in 2016. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $10,846 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 8 of the 9 full years since. It has been ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still is. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from May 2021 ($2,886) to Sep 2022 ($2,019), a drop of 30%. At its lowest month-end, in Mar 2017, it was worth $993.88.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2017	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2018	$1,721	+72%	$1,218
Start of 2019	$1,416	−18%	$1,165
Start of 2020	$1,735	+22%	$1,532
Start of 2021	$2,162	+25%	$1,814
Start of 2022	$2,508	+16%	$2,334
Start of 2023	$2,963	+18%	$1,911
Start of 2024	$3,705	+25%	$2,414
Start of 2025	$4,627	+25%	$3,018
Start of 2026	$7,812	+69%	$3,557
Today	$10,846	+39%	$4,022

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2017, Caterpillar was priced at $76.14 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 13.13 shares. Caterpillar makes construction and mining machinery.

Measured from one January to the next, Caterpillar's best year since then was 2017 (+72%) and its worst was 2018 (−18%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Caterpillar at the start of 2017 would be worth approximately $10,845.81 today — a 10.8x return ($9,845.81 profit) over 9.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2017 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2017 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.