GE vs LECO vs HEI Stock Comparison

General Electric, Lincoln Electric Holdings and Heico Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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GE General Electric Co
$313.11 -1.6% 1M -0.4% 1Y
Market cap
$323.55B
P/E
35.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$52.58B
Div. yield
0.57%
Commercial Aerospace Industrials
4 wins
HEI Heico Corp
$326.41 +6.3% 1M +5.1% 1Y
Market cap
$45.60B
P/E
53.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.18B
Div. yield
0.08%
Commercial Aerospace Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Lincoln Electric Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Lincoln Electric Holdings 6, General Electric 4, Heico 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGELECOHEILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $323.55B $15.40B $45.60B GE
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.6x 26.9x 53.8x LECO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 41.3x 24.5x 53.7x LECO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +19.6% +11.1% +20.7% HEI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.3% 12.4% 16.4% GE
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -38.7% 22.6% 13.5% LECO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.7x 1.0x 1.6x GE
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.57% 1.11% 0.08% LECO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.4% +21.3% +5.1% LECO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +36.8%/yr +14.8%/yr +18.6%/yr GE
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 33.4% 30.8% 32.7% LECO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 46/100 56/100 65/100 HEI

Percentile Scorecard

GELECOHEI

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

AxisGELECOHEI
Valuation 33 #67 of 100 36 #131 of 203 32 #68 of 100
Growth 33 #65 of 96 46 #103 of 188 79 #21 of 96
Profitability 57 #41 of 95 95 #11 of 183 93 #8 of 95
Financial Health 20 #84 of 105 45 #120 of 216 58 #45 of 105
Shareholder Returns 84 #11 of 65 59 #63 of 152 66 #23 of 65
Overall 46 56 65
  • GE ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • LECO ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • HEI ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodGELECOHEISPY
1 month -1.6%+5.0%+6.3% +0.7%
3 months -11.8%+13.6%-7.9% +3.7%
6 months +8.0%+7.3%+20.9% +7.1%
Year to date +1.6%+18.7%+0.9% +12.8%
1 year -0.4%+21.3%+5.1% +11.9%
3 years +257.3%+62.9%+108.1% +85.2%
3 years, per year +52.9%+17.7%+27.7% +22.8%
5 years +379.2%+99.7%+134.2% +67.6%
5 years, per year +36.8%+14.8%+18.6% +10.9%
10 years +123.6%+334.1%+845.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year +8.4%+15.8%+25.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGELECOHEISPY
Volatility, 1Y 33.4%30.8%32.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 35.3%31.1%31.4% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.201.181.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.010.690.16 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.1%-35.3%-27.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -17.8%-4.9%-12.9% -1.2%
52-week high $381.07$298.88$374.67 $779.14
52-week low $273.25$220.64$260.99 $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.

MultipleGELECOHEI
P/E now vs peer median 35.6xmedian 26.9x 26.9xmedian 25.8x 53.8xmedian 26.9x
P/S now vs peer median 6.2xmedian 3.0x 3.3xmedian 1.9x 8.8xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -21.8xmedian 15.0x 17.9xmedian 14.6x 32.8xmedian 15.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 40.5xmedian 27.2x 30.1xmedian 22.2x 44.3xmedian 27.2x
P/B now vs peer median 18.2xmedian 2.5x 9.9xmedian 2.2x 9.1xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median -124.64median 0.93 3.85median 1.45 1.93median 0.93

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 monthsGELECOHEI
Revenue $52.58B $4.64B $5.18B
Gross profit $18.52B $1.65B $2.09B
Operating income -$16.58B $802.52M $1.24B
Net income $9.13B $575.27M $912.35M
Free cash flow $7.99B $511.89M $1.03B
R&D $1.81B – –
EPS (diluted) $8.74 $10.48 $6.00
Cash & equivalents $8.76B $283.24M $240.96M
Total debt $19.33B $1.15B $2.54B
Shares (diluted) 1.04B 54.87M 141.27M
Enterprise value $282.30B $14.27B $45.29B

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
MetricGELECOHEI
P/E 35.6x 26.9x 53.8x
P/FCF 40.5x 30.1x 44.3x
P/Operating cash flow 34.3x 23.1x 41.0x
P/S 6.2x 3.3x 8.8x
P/B 18.2x 9.9x 9.1x
P/Tangible book 23.6x 9.9x 14.0x
EV/EBITDA -21.8x 17.9x 32.8x
EV/EBIT -20.2x 20.3x 38.5x
EV/Revenue 6.4x 3.5x 9.3x
EV/FCF 41.8x 31.8x 46.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.4x 24.4x 43.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -124.64 3.85 1.93

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGELECOHEI
Revenue growth (1Y) 19.6% 11.1% 20.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 4.5% 25.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 7.7% 23.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.9% 5.5% 26.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.2% 12.9% 29.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -98.5% 7.0% 28.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 13.2% 9.6% 31.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.4% 4.9% 27.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 15.5% 11.0% 31.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -0.3% 7.0% 27.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 21.4% 0.7% 31.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.3% 0.5% 35.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 20.1% -6.3% 31.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 2.7% -3.6% 36.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGELECOHEI
Gross margin 35.2% 35.5% 40.4%
EBITDA margin -29.1% 19.5% 28.2%
Operating margin -31.5% 17.3% 24.0%
Pretax margin 20.3% 16.2% 21.6%
Net margin 17.3% 12.4% 16.4%
FCF margin 15.2% 11.0% 19.9%
Operating cash flow margin 17.9% 14.4% 21.5%
Return on equity 51.2% 37.0% 18.5%
Return on assets 7.2% 14.9% 9.3%
Return on invested capital -38.7% 22.6% 13.5%
Return on capital employed -19.5% 27.7% 14.2%
Asset turnover 0.4x 1.2x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 1.2x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.5% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGELECOHEI
Debt / assets 15.2% 29.5% 25.6%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.7x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.7x 1.0x 1.6x
Debt / FCF 2.4x 2.2x 2.5x
Liabilities / assets 86.0% 60.1% 49.4%
Equity / assets 14.0% 39.9% 50.6%
Interest coverage -17.9x – 9.4x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.9x 2.7x
Quick ratio 0.6x 1.0x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.77 7.76 7.31

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGELECOHEI
Dividend yield 0.6% 1.1% 0.1%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 1.8% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 3.2% 2.9% 0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.1% 30.0% 3.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) 21.8% 33.7% 3.4%
Dividend growth (1Y) 26.6% 3.5% 9.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 36.5% 6.3% 8.4%

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.

ConsensusGELECOHEI
Forward P/E 41.3xFY2026 24.5xFY2026 53.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.59FY2026 $11.62FY2026 $6.08FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.2%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026 +24.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +28.1% +0.4% +20.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $54.10BFY2026 $4.84BFY2026 $5.68BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +27.8%FY2026 +14.5%FY2026 +26.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.8% +5.5% +10.4%
GE estimates →LECO estimates →HEI estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGELECOHEI
Held by institutions 79.4% 81.3% 78.3%
Institutions holding 3,444 702 773
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% +5.5% +7.4%
Institutions buying 1,831 298 371
Institutions selling 1,149 266 268
Buyers to sellers 1.59 1.12 1.38
GE holders →LECO holders →HEI 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.

GELECOHEI
GE 1.00 0.41 0.63
LECO 0.41 1.00 0.35
HEI 0.63 0.35 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
GE · Commercial Aerospace
+RTXRtx +BABoeing +HWMHowmet Aerospace +HONHoneywell International +TDGTransDigm +AERAerCap Holdings +FTAIFTAI Aviation +WWDWoodward
Plot all 87 Commercial Aerospace stocks → Plot all 18 Power Tools stocks →

Related Comparisons

GE vs RTXRtx GE vs BABoeing GE vs HWMHowmet Aerospace GE vs HONHoneywell International

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GE, LECO and HEI?

General Electric (GE) is the largest by market capitalisation: General Electric (GE) $323.55B, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) $15.40B, Heico (HEI) $45.60B.

Which stock is cheaper, GE, LECO and HEI?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (General Electric (GE) 35.6x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 26.9x, Heico (HEI) 53.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) is cheapest (General Electric (GE) 41.3x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 24.5x, Heico (HEI) 53.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Heico (HEI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: General Electric (GE) +19.6%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +11.1%, Heico (HEI) +20.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

General Electric (GE) has the highest net margin (General Electric (GE) 17.3%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 12.4%, Heico (HEI) 16.4%). On return on invested capital, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads (General Electric (GE) -38.7%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 22.6%, Heico (HEI) 13.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) returned the most: General Electric (GE) -0.4%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +21.3%, Heico (HEI) +5.1%. Over five years, General Electric (GE) compounded fastest (General Electric (GE) +36.8%/yr, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +14.8%/yr, Heico (HEI) +18.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) has the highest dividend yield: General Electric (GE) 0.57%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 1.11%, Heico (HEI) 0.08%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) has been the steadiest (General Electric (GE) 33.4%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 30.8%, Heico (HEI) 32.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GE, LECO and HEI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads on 6. 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.