ESAB vs ITW vs VNT Stock Comparison

Esab, Illinois Tool Works and Vontier Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ESAB ESAB Corp
$74.13 +9.7% 1M -35.2% 1Y
Market cap
$4.61B
P/E
26.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.00B
Div. yield
0.59%
Power Tools Industrials
1 win
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$281.43 +5.3% 1M +16.3% 1Y
Market cap
$79.98B
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.65B
Div. yield
2.33%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
8 wins
VNT Vontier Corp
$35.90 +13.8% 1M -16.0% 1Y
Market cap
$4.90B
P/E
14.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.07B
Div. yield
0.32%
Power Tools Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 8, Vontier 3, Esab 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESABITWVNTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.61B $79.98B $4.90B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.6x 24.8x 14.4x VNT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.5x 26.4x 9.9x VNT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.7% +4.8% +0.9% ESAB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.7% 19.4% 11.3% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.2% 27.1% 14.5% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.7x 1.8x 2.3x ITW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.59% 2.33% 0.32% ITW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -35.2% +16.3% -16.0% ITW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years — +4.3%/yr +1.2%/yr ITW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.1% 21.3% 31.6% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 36/100 50/100 59/100 VNT

Percentile Scorecard

ESABITWVNT

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

AxisESABITWVNT
Valuation 60 #82 of 203 28 #147 of 203 84 #33 of 203
Growth 25 #141 of 188 35 #122 of 188 28 #135 of 188
Profitability 48 #95 of 183 100 #2 of 183 87 #25 of 183
Financial Health 21 #170 of 216 26 #161 of 216 17 #179 of 216
Shareholder Returns 23 #117 of 152 62 #58 of 152 78 #34 of 152
Overall 36 50 59
  • ESAB ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • VNT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodESABITWVNTSPY
1 month +9.7%+5.3%+13.8% +0.7%
3 months -13.4%-0.8%+12.5% +3.7%
6 months -24.6%+9.1%+0.1% +7.1%
Year to date -33.6%+14.3%-3.4% +12.8%
1 year -35.2%+16.3%-16.0% +11.9%
3 years +17.0%+25.9%+22.5% +85.2%
3 years, per year +5.4%+8.0%+7.0% +22.8%
5 years —+23.5%+6.1% +67.6%
5 years, per year —+4.3%+1.2% +10.9%
10 years —+147.2%— +262.0%
10 years, per year —+9.5%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureESABITWVNTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.1%21.3%31.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 45.7%20.7%35.4% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.810.471.00 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.760.77-0.51 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -52.3%-28.9%-51.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -45.0%-6.1%-16.0% -1.2%
52-week high $134.82$299.60$42.75 $779.14
52-week low $64.45$241.07$27.80 $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.

MultipleESABITWVNT
P/E now vs peer median 26.6xmedian 25.8x 24.8xmedian 25.8x 14.4xmedian 25.8x
P/S now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x 1.6xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.7xmedian 14.6x 18.3xmedian 14.6x 9.4xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.4xmedian 22.2x 27.9xmedian 22.2x 12.7xmedian 22.2x
P/B now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 2.2x 25.5xmedian 2.2x 4.1xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -3.68median 1.45 8.57median 1.45 1.55median 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 monthsESABITWVNT
Revenue $3.00B $16.65B $3.07B
Gross profit $1.11B $7.38B $1.45B
Operating income $362.44M $4.43B $576.60M
Net income $178.52M $3.23B $348.00M
Free cash flow $196.61M $2.87B $384.80M
R&D – – $164.50M
EPS (diluted) $2.78 $11.31 $2.49
Cash & equivalents $217.49M $809.00M $265.80M
Total debt $2.40B $9.37B $1.90B
Shares (diluted) 61.63M 285.30M 139.80M
Enterprise value $3.03B $76.66B $3.48B

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
MetricESABITWVNT
P/E 26.6x 24.8x 14.4x
P/FCF 23.4x 27.9x 12.7x
P/Operating cash flow 17.8x 24.5x 10.6x
P/S 1.5x 4.8x 1.6x
P/B 1.8x 25.5x 4.1x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 30.8x 5.6x
EV/EBITDA 14.7x 18.3x 9.4x
EV/EBIT 18.7x 20.0x 11.3x
EV/Revenue 2.3x 5.3x 2.1x
EV/FCF 34.5x 30.9x 17.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.2x 27.1x 14.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.68 8.57 1.55

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESABITWVNT
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.7% 4.8% 0.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.7% 1.1% -1.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.4% 5.7% 0.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 2.8% 0.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) -16.9% 6.4% 5.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.3% 3.1% 0.9%
Net income growth (1Y) -32.0% 6.7% -11.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -6.2% 0.9% 5.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -33.6% 9.1% -6.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -7.2% 2.9% 9.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -16.5% -0.5% -7.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -1.6% -0.5% 2.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -23.8% 0.8% -9.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.8% 0.4% 1.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESABITWVNT
Gross margin 37.0% 44.3% 47.2%
EBITDA margin 15.4% 29.0% 22.7%
Operating margin 12.1% 26.6% 18.8%
Pretax margin 8.7% 25.2% 14.4%
Net margin 5.7% 19.4% 11.3%
FCF margin 6.5% 17.2% 12.5%
Operating cash flow margin 8.6% 19.6% 15.1%
Return on equity 7.4% 106.9% 28.2%
Return on assets 2.9% 19.6% 8.5%
Return on invested capital 6.2% 27.1% 14.5%
Return on capital employed 6.8% 38.9% 18.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.0x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.0x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.5% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESABITWVNT
Debt / assets 36.5% 56.8% 47.1%
Debt / equity 0.9x 3.0x 1.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.7x 1.8x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 12.2x 3.3x 4.9x
Liabilities / assets 60.6% 81.0% 70.2%
Equity / assets 39.4% 19.0% 29.8%
Interest coverage 3.5x 14.3x –
Current ratio 2.0x 1.3x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.8x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 1.66 8.24 3.06

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESABITWVNT
Dividend yield 0.6% 2.3% 0.3%
Net buyback yield – 2.0% 7.9%
Shareholder yield 0.6% 4.4% 8.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 57.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 64.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 5.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 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.

ConsensusESABITWVNT
Forward P/E 14.5xFY2026 26.4xFY2026 9.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.13FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $3.61FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -2.8%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +27.7% +19.3% +7.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.86BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026 $3.11BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +5.9%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +1.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.3% +11.4% +3.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESABITWVNT
Held by institutions 100.0% 84.9% 100.0%
Institutions holding 348 1,970 462
Change in shares held, QoQ +11.0% +0.8% +4.5%
Institutions buying 187 847 181
Institutions selling 111 750 192
Buyers to sellers 1.68 1.13 0.94

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.

ESABITWVNT
ESAB 1.00 0.55 0.56
ITW 0.55 1.00 0.57
VNT 0.56 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESAB, ITW and VNT?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Esab (ESAB) $4.61B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $79.98B, Vontier (VNT) $4.90B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESAB, ITW and VNT?

Vontier (VNT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Esab (ESAB) 26.6x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.8x, Vontier (VNT) 14.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Vontier (VNT) is cheapest (Esab (ESAB) 14.5x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 26.4x, Vontier (VNT) 9.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Esab (ESAB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Esab (ESAB) +9.7%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.8%, Vontier (VNT) +0.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest net margin (Esab (ESAB) 5.7%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, Vontier (VNT) 11.3%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Esab (ESAB) 6.2%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, Vontier (VNT) 14.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Illinois Tool Works (ITW) returned the most: Esab (ESAB) -35.2%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +16.3%, Vontier (VNT) -16.0%. Over five years, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) compounded fastest (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.3%/yr, Vontier (VNT) +1.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest dividend yield: Esab (ESAB) 0.59%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 2.33%, Vontier (VNT) 0.32%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Esab (ESAB) 46.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.3%, Vontier (VNT) 31.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ESAB, ITW and VNT?

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 8. 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.