ITW vs MSA vs SWK Stock Comparison

Illinois Tool Works, MSA Safety and Stanley Black & Decker Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$276.01 +0.7% 1M +12.3% 1Y
Market cap
$78.95B
P/E
24.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.47B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins
MSA MSA Safety Inc
$182.59 +0.1% 1M +8.6% 1Y
Market cap
$6.94B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Power Tools Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 5, MSA Safety 4, Stanley Black & Decker 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionITWMSASWKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $78.95B $6.94B $14.92B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.7x 22.1x 24.0x MSA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.9x 19.6x 17.1x SWK
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.3% +6.5% +0.6% MSA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 19.4% 16.1% 4.1% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 27.1% 15.9% 6.6% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 0.8x 2.3x MSA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.03% SWK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +12.3% +8.6% +41.5% SWK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +4.4%/yr +3.7%/yr -11.8%/yr ITW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.3% 25.5% 36.5% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 48/100 77/100 59/100 MSA

Percentile Scorecard

ITWMSASWK

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

AxisITWMSASWK
Valuation 26 #150 of 203 55 #91 of 203 89 #23 of 203
Growth 33 #125 of 187 86 #27 of 187 81 #37 of 187
Profitability 100 #2 of 185 97 #7 of 185 52 #89 of 185
Financial Health 23 #170 of 219 76 #53 of 219 28 #158 of 219
Shareholder Returns 59 #63 of 153 73 #42 of 153 47 #82 of 153
Overall 48 77 59
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MSA ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • SWK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodITWMSASWKSPY
1 month +0.7%+0.1%+8.8% -0.8%
3 months -3.0%+4.0%+5.6% +3.5%
6 months +2.3%+6.8%+24.4% +7.0%
Year to date +12.1%+14.0%+33.8% +12.2%
1 year +12.3%+8.6%+41.5% +13.0%
3 years +23.6%+15.9%+21.2% +86.3%
3 years, per year +7.3%+5.0%+6.6% +23.1%
5 years +24.2%+20.0%-46.6% +68.6%
5 years, per year +4.4%+3.7%-11.8% +11.0%
10 years +143.4%+228.8%-14.9% +258.0%
10 years, per year +9.3%+12.6%-1.6% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureITWMSASWKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.3%25.5%36.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.8%24.1%32.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.470.821.41 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.580.341.14 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -28.9%-34.9%-71.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.9%-10.1%-4.4% -1.8%
52-week high $299.60$203.08$104.00 $779.14
52-week low $241.07$152.94$62.12 $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.

MultipleITWMSASWK
P/E now vs peer median 24.7xmedian 26.0x 22.5xmedian 26.0x 24.0xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 1.9x 3.6xmedian 1.9x 1.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.4xmedian 14.0x 15.3xmedian 14.0x 10.6xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.9xmedian 21.4x 19.9xmedian 21.4x 11.6xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 27.2xmedian 2.2x 5.0xmedian 2.2x 1.7xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 8.37median 1.26 0.12median 1.26 -4.57median 1.26

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 monthsITWMSASWK
Revenue $16.47B $1.95B $15.25B
Gross profit $7.27B $925.88M $4.86B
Operating income $4.36B $413.17M $1.32B
Net income $3.19B $314.01M $620.50M
Free cash flow $2.92B $354.30M $1.29B
R&D – $68.19M –
EPS (diluted) $11.13 $8.11 $4.12
Cash & equivalents $839.00M $200.06M $592.40M
Total debt $9.69B $599.74M $4.76B
Shares (diluted) 287.00M 38.70M 150.65M
Enterprise value $75.51B $6.22B $13.44B

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
MetricITWMSASWK
P/E 24.7x 22.5x 24.0x
P/FCF 26.9x 19.9x 11.6x
P/Operating cash flow 23.6x 17.4x 9.7x
P/S 4.8x 3.6x 1.0x
P/B 27.2x 5.0x 1.7x
P/Tangible book 33.6x 6.3x 2.5x
EV/EBITDA 18.4x 15.3x 10.6x
EV/EBIT 20.0x 18.0x 14.6x
EV/Revenue 5.3x 3.8x 1.3x
EV/FCF 29.9x 21.0x 14.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.3x 18.4x 12.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 8.37 0.12 -4.57

Growth

14 metrics
MetricITWMSASWK
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.3% 6.5% 0.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 0.8% 5.2% -2.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.3% 8.2% 9.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 6.7% 11.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.4% 10.8% 51.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.4% 34.5% 149.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -5.1% 13.4% 29.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.0% 186.8% -7.7%
EPS growth (1Y) -3.1% 15.3% 30.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 3.0% 188.5% -5.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 5.8% 26.3% 104.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 96.0% 96.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.2% 40.3% 211.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 72.1% 110.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricITWMSASWK
Gross margin 44.2% 47.6% 31.9%
EBITDA margin 28.9% 25.1% 11.9%
Operating margin 26.5% 21.2% 8.6%
Pretax margin 25.0% 21.1% 5.6%
Net margin 19.4% 16.1% 4.1%
FCF margin 17.7% 18.2% 8.5%
Operating cash flow margin 20.2% 20.9% 10.2%
Return on equity 104.3% 22.8% 6.9%
Return on assets 19.5% 12.2% 3.0%
Return on invested capital 27.1% 15.9% 6.6%
Return on capital employed 41.9% 18.0% 8.0%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.8x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 1.3x 2.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 1.0% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricITWMSASWK
Debt / assets 58.8% 23.1% 23.7%
Debt / equity 3.3x 0.4x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 0.8x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 3.3x 1.7x 3.7x
Liabilities / assets 82.4% 46.1% 55.4%
Equity / assets 17.6% 53.9% 44.6%
Interest coverage 14.5x 12.7x 2.8x
Current ratio 1.1x 3.2x 1.4x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.9x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.7x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 8.00 5.99 2.48

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricITWMSASWK
Dividend yield 2.4% 1.2% 3.4%
Net buyback yield 2.3% 1.8% 1.8%
Shareholder yield 4.7% 2.9% 5.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 57.4% – 81.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) 62.8% – 39.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) 5.5% – 1.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 5.1% – 1.9%

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.

ConsensusITWMSASWK
Forward P/E 25.9xFY2026 19.6xFY2026 17.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.67FY2026 $9.33FY2026 $5.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.7%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026 +24.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +19.3% +3.4% +5.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $16.46BFY2026 $1.98BFY2026 $16.13BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.6%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026 +6.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.4% +19.6% +0.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersITWMSASWK
Held by institutions 84.9% 91.0% 95.7%
Institutions holding 1,969 457 771
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.8% +3.0% +5.3%
Institutions buying 846 236 417
Institutions selling 750 147 243
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.61 1.72

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.

ITWMSASWK
ITW 1.00 0.55 0.62
MSA 0.55 1.00 0.52
SWK 0.62 0.52 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ITW, MSA and SWK?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $78.95B, MSA Safety (MSA) $6.94B, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) $14.92B.

Which stock is cheaper, ITW, MSA and SWK?

MSA Safety (MSA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.7x, MSA Safety (MSA) 22.1x, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 24.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) is cheapest (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.9x, MSA Safety (MSA) 19.6x, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 17.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

MSA Safety (MSA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.3%, MSA Safety (MSA) +6.5%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) +0.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest net margin (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, MSA Safety (MSA) 16.1%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 4.1%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, MSA Safety (MSA) 15.9%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 6.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) returned the most: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +12.3%, MSA Safety (MSA) +8.6%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) +41.5%. Over five years, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) compounded fastest (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.4%/yr, MSA Safety (MSA) +3.7%/yr, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) -11.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) has the highest dividend yield: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%, MSA Safety (MSA) 0.00%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 0.03%. MSA Safety (MSA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.3%, MSA Safety (MSA) 25.5%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 36.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ITW, MSA and SWK?

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 5. 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.