KMT vs IEX vs ITW Stock Comparison

Kennametal, Idex and Illinois Tool Works Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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KMT Kennametal Inc
$23.23 -30.5% 1M -8.1% 1Y
Market cap
$1.77B
P/E
3.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.63B
Div. yield
0.03%
Power Tools Industrials
7 wins
IEX Idex Corp /De/
$222.63 -5.8% 1M +32.3% 1Y
Market cap
$16.74B
P/E
31.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.66B
Div. yield
0.01%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
1 win
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$285.42 +6.9% 1M +16.5% 1Y
Market cap
$79.95B
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.65B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Kennametal leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Kennametal 7, Illinois Tool Works 4, Idex 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKMTIEXITWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.77B $16.74B $79.95B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 3.0x 31.2x 24.8x KMT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 4.4x 24.1x 26.6x KMT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +32.5% +6.9% +4.8% KMT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 22.5% 14.6% 19.4% KMT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 23.4% 10.0% 27.1% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.9x 1.2x 1.8x KMT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.01% 0.02% KMT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.1% +32.3% +16.5% IEX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -9.6%/yr -1.0%/yr +4.0%/yr ITW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.9% 22.6% 22.0% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 69/100 55/100 47/100 KMT

Percentile Scorecard

KMTIEXITW

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

AxisKMTIEXITW
Valuation 76 #50 of 204 34 #135 of 204 19 #166 of 204
Growth 82 #36 of 191 43 #109 of 191 34 #126 of 191
Profitability 76 #47 of 189 85 #30 of 189 100 #2 of 189
Financial Health 54 #102 of 221 74 #58 of 221 27 #161 of 221
Shareholder Returns 60 #64 of 159 41 #94 of 159 55 #72 of 159
Overall 69 55 47
  • KMT ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • IEX ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • ITW ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKMTIEXITWSPY
1 month -30.5%-5.8%+6.9% -5.9%
3 months -31.4%-4.7%-3.2% -4.6%
6 months -44.3%+3.6%+11.7% +0.2%
Year to date -18.2%+25.1%+15.9% +7.5%
1 year -8.1%+32.3%+16.5% +8.2%
3 years +0.9%+15.1%+23.5% +68.3%
3 years, per year +0.3%+4.8%+7.3% +19.0%
5 years -39.7%-5.1%+21.9% +56.5%
5 years, per year -9.6%-1.0%+4.0% +9.4%
10 years -18.3%+161.6%+150.3% +251.5%
10 years, per year -2.0%+10.1%+9.6% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureKMTIEXITWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.9%22.6%22.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 50.3%21.2%21.1% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.300.720.50 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.171.430.75 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -56.1%-35.9%-28.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -46.3%-7.4%-4.7% -5.9%
52-week high $43.27$240.52$299.60 $779.14
52-week low $23.23$161.68$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.

MultipleKMTIEXITW
P/E now vs peer median 3.0xmedian 23.4x 30.6xmedian 23.4x 25.2xmedian 23.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 1.7x 4.5xmedian 1.7x 4.9xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 13.4x 17.9xmedian 13.4x 18.6xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median -6.2xmedian 21.9x 24.5xmedian 21.9x 28.3xmedian 21.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 2.1x 4.1xmedian 2.1x 25.8xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.04median 1.02 -8.04median 1.02 8.69median 1.02

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 monthsKMTIEXITW
Revenue $2.63B $3.66B $16.65B
Gross profit $1.33B $1.64B $7.38B
Operating income $814.22M $763.90M $4.43B
Net income $600.24M $535.80M $3.23B
Free cash flow -$287.48M $667.10M $2.87B
EPS (diluted) $7.56 $7.24 $11.31
Cash & equivalents $272.76M $602.10M $809.00M
Total debt $1.13B $1.75B $9.37B
Shares (diluted) 78.12M 74.00M 285.30M
Enterprise value $1.16B $14.35B $76.63B

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
MetricKMTIEXITW
P/E 3.0x 30.6x 25.2x
P/FCF -6.2x 24.5x 28.3x
P/Operating cash flow -8.0x 21.7x 24.9x
P/S 0.7x 4.5x 4.9x
P/B 1.0x 4.1x 25.8x
P/Tangible book 1.0x 5.7x 31.2x
EV/EBITDA 2.8x 17.9x 18.6x
EV/EBIT 3.3x 22.9x 20.2x
EV/Revenue 1.0x 4.8x 5.4x
EV/FCF -9.2x 26.2x 31.3x
EV/Operating cash flow -11.9x 23.3x 27.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.04 -8.04 8.69

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKMTIEXITW
Revenue growth (1Y) 32.5% 6.9% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 3.5% 1.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 120.9% 8.1% 5.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 27.0% 4.1% 2.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 462.9% 12.2% 6.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 62.7% 0.7% 3.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 501.0% 12.1% 6.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 69.1% -4.6% 0.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 516.0% 13.9% 9.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 71.8% -3.8% 2.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -223.7% 17.0% -0.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -40.2% 3.3% -0.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -409.6% 14.2% 0.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -51.2% 3.9% 0.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKMTIEXITW
Gross margin 50.6% 44.9% 44.3%
EBITDA margin 36.4% 26.7% 29.0%
Operating margin 31.0% 20.9% 26.6%
Pretax margin 29.9% 19.2% 25.2%
Net margin 22.5% 14.6% 19.4%
FCF margin -10.9% 18.2% 17.2%
Operating cash flow margin -8.5% 20.6% 19.6%
Return on equity 34.5% 13.4% 106.9%
Return on assets 17.0% 7.8% 19.6%
Return on invested capital 23.4% 10.0% 27.1%
Return on capital employed 29.2% 12.2% 38.9%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.5x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -0.4x 1.4x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 0.9% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKMTIEXITW
Debt / assets 29.2% 25.5% 56.8%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.4x 3.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.9x 1.2x 1.8x
Debt / FCF -3.9x 2.6x 3.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.9% 41.6% 81.0%
Equity / assets 48.1% 58.4% 19.0%
Interest coverage 24.1x – 14.3x
Current ratio 3.4x 2.8x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.8x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.9x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.08 5.49 8.29

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKMTIEXITW
Dividend yield 3.4% 1.3% 2.3%
Net buyback yield 0.7% 1.8% 2.0%
Shareholder yield 4.2% 3.1% 4.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 10.2% 39.9% 57.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) -21.2% 32.1% 64.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) -0.7% 1.0% 5.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -1.7% 4.5% 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.

ConsensusKMTIEXITW
Forward P/E 4.4xFY2027 24.1xFY2026 26.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.25FY2027 $9.24FY2026 $10.72FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.9%FY2027 +16.2%FY2026 +2.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -57.9% +12.2% +18.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.22BFY2027 $3.96BFY2026 $16.47BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +36.5%FY2027 +14.6%FY2026 +2.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.7% +2.7% +11.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKMTIEXITW
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 84.9%
Institutions holding 337 688 1,972
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.5% +0.1% +0.8%
Institutions buying 198 352 847
Institutions selling 95 202 752
Buyers to sellers 2.08 1.74 1.13

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.

KMTIEXITW
KMT 1.00 0.51 0.46
IEX 0.51 1.00 0.59
ITW 0.46 0.59 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KMT, IEX and ITW?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kennametal (KMT) $1.77B, Idex (IEX) $16.74B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $79.95B.

Which stock is cheaper, KMT, IEX and ITW?

Kennametal (KMT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kennametal (KMT) 3.0x, Idex (IEX) 31.2x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kennametal (KMT) is cheapest (Kennametal (KMT) 4.4x, Idex (IEX) 24.1x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 26.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kennametal (KMT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kennametal (KMT) +32.5%, Idex (IEX) +6.9%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kennametal (KMT) has the highest net margin (Kennametal (KMT) 22.5%, Idex (IEX) 14.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Kennametal (KMT) 23.4%, Idex (IEX) 10.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Idex (IEX) returned the most: Kennametal (KMT) -8.1%, Idex (IEX) +32.3%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +16.5%. Over five years, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) compounded fastest (Kennametal (KMT) -9.6%/yr, Idex (IEX) -1.0%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kennametal (KMT) has the highest dividend yield: Kennametal (KMT) 0.03%, Idex (IEX) 0.01%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Kennametal (KMT) 46.9%, Idex (IEX) 22.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 22.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KMT, IEX 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, Kennametal (KMT) leads on 7. 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.