What was Caterpillar's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2021?

Caterpillar's CAGR from 2021 to September 2026 was 32.4% 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 2021?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2021 would be worth approximately $2,218.04 today. Caterpillar outperformed the index by $2,798.36 — 2.26x the return of the S&P 500.

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

Sold today, the $4,016.40 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $4,413.94. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $4,060.50, 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 2021?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2021, the real purchasing-power value of the Caterpillar position is approximately $4,168.54 in 2021 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Caterpillar perform in 2021?

Caterpillar rose 16% during 2021, from $164.62 at the start of the year to $190.99 at the start of 2022.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Caterpillar in 2021?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$5,016

+$4,016 profit5.02x32.4% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218

Its shares paid about $37.42 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$4,414

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

$5,016.40

Total Profit

$4,016.40

Multiplier

5.02x

CAGR

32.4%

Max Drawdown

-30.0%

Inflation-Adjusted

$4,168.54

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2021 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Caterpillar	$5,016.40	5.02x
S&P 500	$2,218.04	2.22x
Gold	$2,213.49	2.21x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,120.46	1.12x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 6.07 shares you'd own now paid about $37.42 in dividends (about $3.12 a month). That's 3.7% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $4,534; reinvested dividends added the other $482.58, 12% of the gain.

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

Back in 2021

In April 2021, the Cat S62 Pro, a rugged Caterpillar-branded smartphone with a built-in thermal camera made by licensee Bullitt Group, went on sale in the U.S. theverge.com
In 2021, a gallon of gas averaged $3.01 and the new iPhone 13 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
During 2021 itself, Caterpillar rose 16%, #78 of the 111 investments we track. The best was Solana (+11,084%); the worst was Zoom (−49%). Full 2021 results →

$1,000 in Caterpillar, year by year

Of the 111 investments we track that were available at the start of 2021, Caterpillar ranks #15 by growth to today — just behind CrowdStrike and ahead of ExxonMobil. See the full 2021 ranking →

Caterpillar started 2021 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 25% in 2020. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $5,016 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 5 of the 5 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2023 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from May 2021 ($1,335) to Sep 2022 ($933.82), a drop of 30%. At its lowest month-end, in Sep 2022, it was worth $933.82.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2021	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2022	$1,160	+16%	$1,287
Start of 2023	$1,370	+18%	$1,054
Start of 2024	$1,714	+25%	$1,331
Start of 2025	$2,140	+25%	$1,664
Start of 2026	$3,613	+69%	$1,962
Today	$5,016	+39%	$2,218

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 2021, Caterpillar was priced at $164.62 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 6.07 shares. Caterpillar makes construction and mining machinery.

Measured from one January to the next, Caterpillar's best year since then was 2025 (+69%) and its weakest was 2021 (+16%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Caterpillar at the start of 2021 would be worth approximately $5,016.40 today — a 5.02x return ($4,016.40 profit) over 5.7 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 2021 (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 of2021 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.