Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) has outperformed the market over the past 15 years by 4.01% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 16.6%. Currently, Caterpillar has a market capitalization of $161.70 billion.

Buying $1000 In CAT: If an investor had bought $1000 of CAT stock 15 years ago, it would be worth $9,517.56 today based on a price of $330.64 for CAT at the time of writing.

Caterpillar's Performance Over Last 15 Years

Finally -- what's the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded returns can make in your cash growth over a period of time.

This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.