AER vs HWM vs ITW Stock Comparison

AerCap Holdings, Howmet Aerospace and Illinois Tool Works Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AER AerCap Holdings N.V.
$159.76 +10.1% 1M +21.4% 1Y
Market cap
$27.22B
P/E
8.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.07B
Div. yield
0.01%
Commercial Aerospace Industrials
4 wins
HWM Howmet Aerospace Inc.
$205.71 -10.9% 1M +1.1% 1Y
Market cap
$79.38B
P/E
38.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.73B
Div. yield
0.00%
Commercial Aerospace Industrials
4 wins
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$281.43 +5.3% 1M +16.3% 1Y
Market cap
$79.39B
P/E
24.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.65B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 4, AerCap Holdings 4, Howmet Aerospace 4). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAERHWMITWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $27.22B $79.38B $79.39B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 8.7x 38.7x 24.6x AER
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.9x 39.6x 26.4x AER
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.7% +22.0% +4.8% HWM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 34.5% 21.1% 19.4% AER
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.0% 21.5% 27.1% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.8x 1.4x 1.8x HWM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.02% ITW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +21.4% +1.1% +16.3% AER
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +22.0%/yr +47.3%/yr +4.3%/yr HWM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.9% 35.5% 21.3% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 73/100 50/100 HWM

Percentile Scorecard

AERHWMITW

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAERHWMITW
Valuation 96 #5 of 100 40 #60 of 100 28 #147 of 203
Growth 41 #57 of 96 90 #11 of 96 35 #122 of 188
Profitability 86 #14 of 95 99 #2 of 95 100 #2 of 183
Financial Health 6 #99 of 105 47 #56 of 105 26 #161 of 216
Shareholder Returns 89 #8 of 65 88 #9 of 65 62 #58 of 152
Overall 64 73 50
  • AER ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • HWM ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAERHWMITWSPY
1 month +10.1%-10.9%+5.3% +0.7%
3 months +4.5%-25.8%-0.8% +3.7%
6 months +12.3%-15.4%+9.1% +7.1%
Year to date +11.1%+0.3%+14.3% +12.8%
1 year +21.4%+1.1%+16.3% +11.9%
3 years +161.0%+371.8%+25.9% +85.2%
3 years, per year +37.7%+67.8%+8.0% +22.8%
5 years +170.6%+592.9%+23.5% +67.6%
5 years, per year +22.0%+47.3%+4.3% +10.9%
10 years +289.8%—+147.2% +262.0%
10 years, per year +14.6%—+9.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAERHWMITWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.9%35.5%21.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.8%36.5%20.7% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.971.090.47 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.830.030.77 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.1%-36.5%-28.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-29.7%-6.1% -1.2%
52-week high $159.76$292.71$299.60 $779.14
52-week low $130.24$185.88$241.07 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAERHWMITW
P/E now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 26.9x 39.9xmedian 26.9x 24.8xmedian 25.8x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 3.0x 8.4xmedian 3.0x 4.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.6xmedian 15.0x 28.2xmedian 15.0x 18.3xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 8.9xmedian 27.2x 42.4xmedian 27.2x 27.9xmedian 22.2x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 2.5x 14.2xmedian 2.5x 25.5xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.46median 0.93 0.81median 0.93 8.57median 1.45

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAERHWMITW
Revenue $9.07B $9.73B $16.65B
Gross profit – $3.56B $7.38B
Operating income – $2.73B $4.43B
Net income $3.13B $2.05B $3.23B
Free cash flow $3.00B $1.93B $2.87B
R&D – $38.00M –
EPS (diluted) $17.75 $5.13 $11.31
Cash & equivalents $2.53B $507.00M $809.00M
Total debt $43.27B $4.83B $9.37B
Shares (diluted) 176.12M 400.00M 285.30M
Enterprise value $20.15B $75.14B $76.06B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAERHWMITW
P/E 8.8x 39.9x 24.8x
P/FCF 8.9x 42.4x 27.9x
P/Operating cash flow 4.5x 34.1x 24.5x
P/S 2.9x 8.4x 4.8x
P/B 1.4x 14.2x 25.5x
P/Tangible book 1.4x 16.7x 30.8x
EV/EBITDA 9.6x 28.2x 18.3x
EV/EBIT 15.8x 31.6x 20.0x
EV/Revenue 7.4x 8.9x 5.3x
EV/FCF 22.5x 44.7x 30.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.3x 35.9x 27.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.46 0.81 8.57

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAERHWMITW
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.7% 22.0% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.5% 14.9% 1.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 33.7% 5.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 26.3% 2.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) – 36.4% 6.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – 35.5% 3.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -17.5% 41.6% 6.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 47.5% 0.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -8.9% 43.6% 9.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.1% 49.5% 2.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.9% 40.3% -0.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.2% 38.8% -0.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 417.1% 50.9% 0.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.8% 41.0% 0.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAERHWMITW
Gross margin – 36.6% 44.3%
EBITDA margin 77.4% 31.4% 29.0%
Operating margin – 28.1% 26.6%
Pretax margin 26.4% 25.8% 25.2%
Net margin 34.5% 21.1% 19.4%
FCF margin 33.1% 19.8% 17.2%
Operating cash flow margin 65.5% 24.7% 19.6%
Return on equity 16.9% 35.7% 106.9%
Return on assets 4.4% 15.5% 19.6%
Return on invested capital 7.0% 21.5% 27.1%
Return on capital employed – 24.7% 38.9%
Asset turnover 0.1x 0.7x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 1.2x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 1.0% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAERHWMITW
Debt / assets 60.0% 36.4% 56.8%
Debt / equity 2.3x 0.8x 3.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.8x 1.4x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 14.4x 2.5x 3.3x
Liabilities / assets 74.2% 56.6% 81.0%
Equity / assets 25.8% 43.4% 19.0%
Interest coverage 2.3x – 14.3x
Current ratio – 1.9x 1.3x
Quick ratio – 0.7x 0.8x
Cash ratio – 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score – 8.71 8.24

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAERHWMITW
Dividend yield 0.9% 0.2% 2.3%
Net buyback yield – 1.6% 2.0%
Shareholder yield 0.9% 1.8% 4.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 4.7% 9.9% 57.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) 4.9% 10.5% 64.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 68.0% 23.8% 5.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 43.3% 5.1%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAERHWMITW
Forward P/E 8.9xFY2026 39.6xFY2026 26.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $17.95FY2026 $5.19FY2026 $10.67FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +16.8%FY2026 +37.7%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +4.0% +31.2% +19.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $9.14BFY2026 $10.37BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.3%FY2026 +25.7%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -1.6% +15.9% +11.4%
AER estimates →HWM estimates →ITW estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAERHWMITW
Held by institutions 78.7% 91.0% 84.9%
Institutions holding 690 1,601 1,970
Change in shares held, QoQ -5.5% +0.7% +0.8%
Institutions buying 360 908 847
Institutions selling 238 484 750
Buyers to sellers 1.51 1.88 1.13
AER holders →HWM holders →ITW holders →

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AERHWMITW
AER 1.00 0.44 0.37
HWM 0.44 1.00 0.30
ITW 0.37 0.30 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
AER · Commercial Aerospace
+GEGeneral Electric +RTXRtx +BABoeing +HONHoneywell International +TDGTransDigm +HEIHeico +FTAIFTAI Aviation +WWDWoodward
Plot all 87 Commercial Aerospace stocks → Plot all 168 Industrial Machinery stocks →

Related Comparisons

AER vs GEGeneral Electric AER vs RTXRtx AER vs BABoeing AER vs HONHoneywell International

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AER, HWM and ITW?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: AerCap Holdings (AER) $27.22B, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) $79.38B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $79.39B.

Which stock is cheaper, AER, HWM and ITW?

AerCap Holdings (AER) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (AerCap Holdings (AER) 8.7x, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 38.7x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, AerCap Holdings (AER) is cheapest (AerCap Holdings (AER) 8.9x, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 39.6x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 26.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: AerCap Holdings (AER) +8.7%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +22.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

AerCap Holdings (AER) has the highest net margin (AerCap Holdings (AER) 34.5%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 21.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (AerCap Holdings (AER) 7.0%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 21.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year AerCap Holdings (AER) returned the most: AerCap Holdings (AER) +21.4%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +1.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +16.3%. Over five years, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) compounded fastest (AerCap Holdings (AER) +22.0%/yr, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +47.3%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest dividend yield: AerCap Holdings (AER) 0.01%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 0.00%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (AerCap Holdings (AER) 25.9%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 35.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AER, HWM and ITW?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.