HWM vs ITW vs RBC Stock Comparison

Howmet Aerospace, Illinois Tool Works and RBC Bearings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
HWM Howmet Aerospace Inc.
$195.28 -14.5% 1M -2.9% 1Y
Market cap
$78.11B
P/E
41.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.12B
Div. yield
0.26%
Commercial Aerospace Industrials
4 wins
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$276.03 +0.8% 1M +12.3% 1Y
Market cap
$78.45B
P/E
24.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.65B
Div. yield
2.37%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins
RBC RBC Bearings INC
$484.54 -4.0% 1M +18.7% 1Y
Market cap
$15.88B
P/E
47.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 6, Howmet Aerospace 4, RBC Bearings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHWMITWRBCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $78.11B $78.45B $15.88B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.8x 24.3x 47.7x ITW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 37.6x 25.9x 34.7x ITW
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +18.1% +4.8% +17.3% HWM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 20.5% 19.4% 16.4% HWM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 19.4% 27.1% 8.4% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.4x 1.8x 1.1x RBC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.26% 2.37% 0.00% ITW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.9% +12.3% +18.7% RBC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +45.8%/yr +3.9%/yr +15.7%/yr HWM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.2% 21.2% 28.3% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 73/100 50/100 54/100 HWM

Percentile Scorecard

HWMITWRBC

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

AxisHWMITWRBC
Valuation 40 #60 of 100 29 #145 of 203 15 #172 of 203
Growth 91 #10 of 97 34 #124 of 188 90 #19 of 188
Profitability 98 #3 of 96 100 #2 of 184 77 #43 of 184
Financial Health 49 #54 of 105 26 #160 of 217 71 #64 of 217
Shareholder Returns 86 #10 of 65 62 #59 of 153 18 #126 of 153
Overall 73 50 54
  • HWM ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • RBC ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodHWMITWRBCSPY
1 month -14.5%+0.8%-4.0% +0.9%
3 months -28.4%-5.6%-12.0% +5.9%
6 months -17.4%+3.9%-17.1% +8.5%
Year to date -4.8%+12.1%+8.1% +13.3%
1 year -2.9%+12.3%+18.7% +12.4%
3 years +353.2%+23.6%+124.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year +65.5%+7.3%+30.9% +23.5%
5 years +557.7%+21.1%+107.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year +45.8%+3.9%+15.7% +11.0%
10 years —+142.5%+591.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year —+9.3%+21.3% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureHWMITWRBCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.2%21.2%28.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.5%20.8%29.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.100.471.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.080.580.66 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.5%-28.9%-35.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -33.3%-7.9%-25.3% -0.9%
52-week high $292.71$299.60$648.89 $779.14
52-week low $185.88$241.07$406.45 $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.

MultipleHWMITWRBC
P/E now vs peer median 41.8xmedian 26.4x 24.3xmedian 25.4x 47.7xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 8.6xmedian 3.0x 4.7xmedian 1.9x 8.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 29.3xmedian 14.5x 18.0xmedian 14.3x 27.7xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 43.6xmedian 26.1x 27.4xmedian 21.8x 41.2xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 13.6xmedian 2.5x 25.0xmedian 2.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.77median 0.90 8.41median 1.41 2.03median 1.41

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 monthsHWMITWRBC
Revenue $9.12B $16.65B $1.95B
Gross profit $3.29B $7.38B $882.80M
Operating income $2.50B $4.43B $460.70M
Net income $1.87B $3.23B $320.60M
Free cash flow $1.79B $2.87B $385.20M
R&D $37.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $4.65 $11.31 $10.11
Cash & equivalents $563.00M $809.00M $124.50M
Total debt $4.50B $9.37B $806.20M
Shares (diluted) 402.00M 285.30M 31.71M
Enterprise value $73.71B $75.12B $15.50B

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
MetricHWMITWRBC
P/E 41.8x 24.3x 47.7x
P/FCF 43.6x 27.4x 41.2x
P/Operating cash flow 35.2x 24.0x 34.0x
P/S 8.6x 4.7x 8.1x
P/B 13.6x 25.0x 4.6x
P/Tangible book 16.1x 30.2x 7.5x
EV/EBITDA 29.3x 18.0x 27.7x
EV/EBIT 32.9x 19.6x 35.9x
EV/Revenue 9.0x 5.2x 8.5x
EV/FCF 45.8x 30.3x 43.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 36.9x 26.7x 35.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.77 8.41 2.03

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHWMITWRBC
Revenue growth (1Y) 18.1% 4.8% 17.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.7% 1.1% 9.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 30.2% 5.7% 19.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 25.3% 2.8% 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 32.6% 6.4% 23.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 34.8% 3.1% 13.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 33.9% 6.7% 26.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 52.1% 0.9% 21.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 35.4% 9.1% 29.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 54.1% 2.9% 23.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 56.1% -0.5% 47.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 42.2% -0.5% 27.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 75.9% 0.8% 48.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 45.6% 0.4% 28.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHWMITWRBC
Gross margin 36.0% 44.3% 45.2%
EBITDA margin 30.7% 29.0% 30.6%
Operating margin 27.4% 26.6% 23.6%
Pretax margin 25.0% 25.2% 21.1%
Net margin 20.5% 19.4% 16.4%
FCF margin 19.6% 17.2% 19.7%
Operating cash flow margin 24.4% 19.6% 23.9%
Return on equity 33.3% 106.9% 9.4%
Return on assets 14.2% 19.6% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 19.4% 27.1% 8.4%
Return on capital employed 23.0% 38.9% 9.9%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.0x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.0x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.5% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHWMITWRBC
Debt / assets 34.0% 56.8% 15.5%
Debt / equity 0.8x 3.0x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.4x 1.8x 1.1x
Debt / FCF 2.5x 3.3x 2.1x
Liabilities / assets 56.7% 81.0% 33.4%
Equity / assets 43.3% 19.0% 66.6%
Interest coverage – 14.3x 4.4x
Current ratio 1.8x 1.3x 2.5x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.8x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 8.25 8.17 6.83

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHWMITWRBC
Dividend yield 0.3% 2.4% –
Net buyback yield 1.3% 2.1% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 4.4% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 10.4% 57.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 10.9% 64.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 30.0% 5.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 47.3% 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.

ConsensusHWMITWRBC
Forward P/E 37.6xFY2026 25.9xFY2026 34.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.19FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $13.97FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +37.7%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +31.2% +19.3% +13.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $10.37BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026 $2.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +25.7%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.9% +11.4% +24.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHWMITWRBC
Held by institutions 91.0% 84.9% 95.3%
Institutions holding 1,600 1,969 685
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.7% +0.8% +1.5%
Institutions buying 907 846 360
Institutions selling 484 750 240
Buyers to sellers 1.87 1.13 1.50

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.

HWMITWRBC
HWM 1.00 0.29 0.56
ITW 0.29 1.00 0.38
RBC 0.56 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HWM, ITW and RBC?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) $78.11B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $78.45B, RBC Bearings (RBC) $15.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, HWM, ITW and RBC?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 41.8x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.3x, RBC Bearings (RBC) 47.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is cheapest (Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 37.6x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.9x, RBC Bearings (RBC) 34.7x). 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: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +18.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.8%, RBC Bearings (RBC) +17.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) has the highest net margin (Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 20.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 16.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 19.4%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 8.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year RBC Bearings (RBC) returned the most: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) -2.9%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +12.3%, RBC Bearings (RBC) +18.7%. Over five years, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) compounded fastest (Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +45.8%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +3.9%/yr, RBC Bearings (RBC) +15.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest dividend yield: Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 0.26%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 2.37%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 0.00%. RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 35.2%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.2%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 28.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.