CMI vs PHIN: How Cummins and PHINIA Compare (2026)

Same yardstick, side by side (as of July 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: PHIN is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. CMI and PHIN share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined CMI and PHIN exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Cummins Inc. is one of the world's largest independent makers of diesel and natural gas engines, and it operates across five segments: Engine, Components, Distribution, Power Systems, and Accelera (its low-carbon and electrification arm). Its products power heavy- and medium-duty trucks, buses, construction and mining equipment, and standby and prime power generators, and it runs a large aftermarket parts and service network. The Distribution segment is the largest by revenue, while Power Systems has been the fastest-growing thanks to demand for backup power at data centers.

Full CMI guide

PHINIA is an automotive and industrial components company that makes fuel systems, electrical systems, and aftermarket parts for combustion and hybrid engines. Spun off from BorgWarner in 2023, PHINIA supplies fuel-injection systems, pumps, electronics, and starters and alternators to automakers and commercial-vehicle manufacturers (its original-equipment business), and it sells branded replacement parts (notably under the Delphi brand) and related products through the automotive aftermarket. Its products serve gasoline, diesel, and increasingly alternative-fuel engines, including positioning around hydrogen and other lower-carbon combustion fuels. PHINIA makes money on both new-vehicle component sales and the steadier, higher-margin aftermarket, where parts are replaced over a vehicle's life. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, PHINIA is essentially a focused bet on the long tail of internal-combustion and hybrid powertrains: the company argues that combustion and hybrid vehicles will remain a large global fleet for decades, sustaining demand for its fuel and electrical systems and aftermarket parts even as pure electrification grows.

Full PHIN guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• CMI drivers: Data center backup power; North American truck cycle.
• PHIN drivers: Combustion and hybrid longevity; Stable aftermarket business.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Cummins is exposed to the industrial and freight cycle, so a downturn in truck demand or construction spending can cut engine volumes and margins quickly. For PHIN, pHINIA's core markets, combustion and hybrid powertrains, face long-term secular decline as electric vehicles take share, and a faster-than-expected EV transition would shrink its addressable market.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick CMI if you believe its drivers more; PHIN if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the CMI and PHIN guides.

CMI. Cummins trades at a premium to its historical multiple after a large 2025-2026 run tied to data center power demand. The forward P/E near 23x sits well below the trailing figure, reflecting expected earnings growth as guidance was raised. The dividend is modest in yield but backed by a long record of annual increases.

PHIN. PHINIA trades at a low valuation multiple, reflecting market skepticism about combustion-engine longevity. The financial profile is that of a cash-generative auto supplier with a stabilizing aftermarket business, returning cash to shareholders while the market debates how quickly its core combustion markets will decline.

Headline figures (approximate, JUNE 2026): CMI shows revenue (fy2025) ~$33.7B, revenue (q1 2026) ~$8.4B, up ~3% YoY, net income (fy2025) ~$2.8B, market cap ~$96B; PHIN shows revenue (ttm) ~$3.3 billion, operating margin ~high-single-digit to low-double-digit %, aftermarket mix meaningful, steadier share of revenue, free cash flow positive, supports capital return.

CMI and PHIN are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined CMI and PHIN exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.