Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) has outperformed the market over the past 20 years by 3.35% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 11.88%. Currently, Caterpillar has a market capitalization of $189.13 billion.

Buying $100 In CAT: If an investor had bought $100 of CAT stock 20 years ago, it would be worth $945.09 today based on a price of $386.73 for CAT at the time of writing.

Caterpillar's Performance Over Last 20 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.