KMT vs MSA vs EMR Stock Comparison

Kennametal, MSA Safety and Emerson Electric Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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KMT Kennametal Inc
$30.18 -2.7% 1M +31.8% 1Y
Market cap
$2.20B
P/E
6.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.36B
Div. yield
0.03%
Power Tools Industrials
6 wins
MSA MSA Safety Inc
$179.16 -0.7% 1M +5.7% 1Y
Market cap
$6.90B
P/E
22.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Power Tools Industrials
4 wins
EMR Emerson Electric Co
$170.76 +8.6% 1M +25.2% 1Y
Market cap
$91.88B
P/E
35.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.64B
Div. yield
0.01%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionKMTMSAEMRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.20B $6.90B $91.88B EMR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 6.4x 22.0x 35.6x KMT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 5.7x 19.2x 25.3x KMT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +19.8% +6.5% +4.8% KMT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.5% 16.1% 13.8% MSA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.5% 15.9% 10.9% KMT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 0.8x 1.8x MSA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.00% 0.01% KMT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +31.8% +5.7% +25.2% KMT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -5.4%/yr +3.2%/yr +12.0%/yr EMR
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.3% 25.1% 31.8% MSA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 80/100 45/100 MSA

Percentile Scorecard

KMTMSAEMR

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

AxisKMTMSAEMR
Valuation 73 #56 of 203 59 #83 of 203 33 #136 of 203
Growth 76 #46 of 188 86 #27 of 188 41 #112 of 188
Profitability 69 #58 of 183 97 #7 of 183 87 #24 of 183
Financial Health 51 #107 of 216 75 #55 of 216 30 #152 of 216
Shareholder Returns 56 #68 of 152 82 #29 of 152 35 #99 of 152
Overall 65 80 45
  • KMT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MSA ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • EMR ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodKMTMSAEMRSPY
1 month -2.7%-0.7%+8.6% +0.7%
3 months -9.4%+2.8%+14.9% +3.7%
6 months -22.0%+7.7%+21.6% +7.1%
Year to date +6.2%+11.9%+28.7% +12.8%
1 year +31.8%+5.7%+25.2% +11.9%
3 years +31.2%+13.3%+93.1% +85.2%
3 years, per year +9.5%+4.2%+24.5% +22.8%
5 years -24.1%+17.1%+76.0% +67.6%
5 years, per year -5.4%+3.2%+12.0% +10.9%
10 years +9.3%+224.3%+240.9% +262.0%
10 years, per year +0.9%+12.5%+13.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureKMTMSAEMRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.3%25.1%31.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.0%23.9%33.5% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.310.811.53 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.720.230.79 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -57.4%-34.9%-29.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -30.3%-11.8%0.0% -1.2%
52-week high $43.27$203.08$170.76 $779.14
52-week low $21.95$152.94$123.30 $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.

MultipleKMTMSAEMR
P/E now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 25.8x 22.0xmedian 25.8x 37.0xmedian 25.8x
P/S now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 1.9x 3.6xmedian 1.9x 5.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 14.6x 15.0xmedian 14.6x 17.2xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median -28.4xmedian 22.2x 19.5xmedian 22.2x 27.5xmedian 22.2x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 2.2x 4.9xmedian 2.2x 4.7xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.15median 1.45 0.12median 1.45 -0.89median 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 monthsKMTMSAEMR
Revenue $2.36B $1.95B $18.64B
Gross profit $969.96M $925.88M $9.91B
Operating income $472.53M $413.17M $4.68B
Net income $350.41M $314.01M $2.58B
Free cash flow -$80.91M $354.30M $3.46B
R&D – $68.19M –
EPS (diluted) $4.42 $8.11 $4.59
Cash & equivalents $95.79M $200.06M $2.18B
Total debt $717.45M $599.74M $13.11B
Shares (diluted) 77.42M 38.70M 561.10M
Enterprise value $1.76B $6.19B $84.61B

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
MetricKMTMSAEMR
P/E 6.7x 22.0x 37.0x
P/FCF -28.4x 19.5x 27.5x
P/Operating cash flow -573.9x 17.0x 24.3x
P/S 1.0x 3.6x 5.1x
P/B 1.4x 4.9x 4.7x
P/Tangible book 1.5x 6.2x 8.1x
EV/EBITDA 4.7x 15.0x 17.2x
EV/EBIT 6.2x 17.7x 22.7x
EV/Revenue 1.2x 3.8x 5.7x
EV/FCF -36.1x 20.6x 30.7x
EV/Operating cash flow -729.0x 18.0x 27.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.15 0.12 -0.89

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKMTMSAEMR
Revenue growth (1Y) 19.8% 6.5% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.3% 5.2% 7.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 62.2% 8.2% 5.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 6.7% 11.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 230.2% 10.8% 9.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 34.9% 34.5% 13.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 255.0% 13.4% -3.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 41.6% 186.8% -42.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 269.9% 15.3% -2.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 44.8% 188.5% -41.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -101.9% 26.3% 4.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -26.3% 96.0% 10.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -167.8% 40.3% 4.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -35.6% 72.1% 9.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKMTMSAEMR
Gross margin 41.2% 47.6% 53.2%
EBITDA margin 26.1% 25.1% 33.1%
Operating margin 20.1% 21.2% 25.1%
Pretax margin 19.6% 21.1% 17.6%
Net margin 14.5% 16.1% 13.8%
FCF margin -3.4% 18.2% 18.6%
Operating cash flow margin -0.2% 20.9% 21.0%
Return on equity 23.3% 22.8% 12.7%
Return on assets 11.9% 12.2% 6.1%
Return on invested capital 16.5% 15.9% 10.9%
Return on capital employed 20.8% 18.0% 14.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.8x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.0x 1.3x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 1.0% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKMTMSAEMR
Debt / assets 22.7% 23.1% 31.1%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.4x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 0.8x 1.8x
Debt / FCF -8.9x 1.7x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 49.1% 46.1% 51.7%
Equity / assets 50.9% 53.9% 48.3%
Interest coverage 16.5x 12.7x –
Current ratio 2.6x 3.2x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.9x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.7x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.20 5.92 4.77

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKMTMSAEMR
Dividend yield 2.7% 1.2% 1.3%
Net buyback yield 0.8% 1.8% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 3.4% 3.0% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 17.4% – 47.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) -75.2% – 35.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) -1.6% – 3.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -1.9% – 0.7%

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.

ConsensusKMTMSAEMR
Forward P/E 5.7xFY2027 19.2xFY2026 25.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.25FY2027 $9.33FY2026 $6.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.9%FY2027 +17.7%FY2026 +12.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -57.9% +3.4% +15.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.22BFY2027 $1.98BFY2026 $18.13BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +36.5%FY2027 +5.2%FY2026 +0.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.7% +19.6% +15.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKMTMSAEMR
Held by institutions 100.0% 91.0% 82.1%
Institutions holding 337 457 2,292
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.5% +3.0% +0.9%
Institutions buying 198 236 1,081
Institutions selling 95 147 799
Buyers to sellers 2.08 1.61 1.35

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.

KMTMSAEMR
KMT 1.00 0.48 0.45
MSA 0.48 1.00 0.51
EMR 0.45 0.51 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KMT, MSA and EMR?

Emerson Electric (EMR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kennametal (KMT) $2.20B, MSA Safety (MSA) $6.90B, Emerson Electric (EMR) $91.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, KMT, MSA and EMR?

Kennametal (KMT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kennametal (KMT) 6.4x, MSA Safety (MSA) 22.0x, Emerson Electric (EMR) 35.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kennametal (KMT) is cheapest (Kennametal (KMT) 5.7x, MSA Safety (MSA) 19.2x, Emerson Electric (EMR) 25.3x). 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) +19.8%, MSA Safety (MSA) +6.5%, Emerson Electric (EMR) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

MSA Safety (MSA) has the highest net margin (Kennametal (KMT) 14.5%, MSA Safety (MSA) 16.1%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 13.8%). On return on invested capital, Kennametal (KMT) leads (Kennametal (KMT) 16.5%, MSA Safety (MSA) 15.9%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 10.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Kennametal (KMT) returned the most: Kennametal (KMT) +31.8%, MSA Safety (MSA) +5.7%, Emerson Electric (EMR) +25.2%. Over five years, Emerson Electric (EMR) compounded fastest (Kennametal (KMT) -5.4%/yr, MSA Safety (MSA) +3.2%/yr, Emerson Electric (EMR) +12.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kennametal (KMT) has the highest dividend yield: Kennametal (KMT) 0.03%, MSA Safety (MSA) 0.00%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 0.01%. MSA Safety (MSA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, MSA Safety (MSA) has been the steadiest (Kennametal (KMT) 44.3%, MSA Safety (MSA) 25.1%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 31.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KMT, MSA and EMR?

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 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.