LECO vs MSA vs IR Stock Comparison

Lincoln Electric Holdings, MSA Safety and Ingersoll Rand Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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
7 wins
IR Ingersoll Rand Inc.
$74.54 -2.0% 1M -6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$29.49B
P/E
30.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.94B
Div. yield
0.00%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

MSA Safety leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (MSA Safety 7, Lincoln Electric Holdings 4, Ingersoll Rand 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLECOMSAIRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.41B $6.94B $29.49B IR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.8x 22.1x 30.7x MSA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.3x 19.6x 22.3x MSA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.3% +6.5% +7.8% LECO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.4% 16.1% 12.1% MSA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.4% 15.9% 7.6% LECO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 0.8x 1.8x MSA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% LECO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +7.0% +8.6% -6.6% MSA
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.4%/yr +3.7%/yr +7.0%/yr LECO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.6% 25.5% 33.1% MSA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 77/100 58/100 MSA

Percentile Scorecard

LECOMSAIR

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

AxisLECOMSAIR
Valuation 39 #124 of 203 55 #91 of 203 42 #118 of 203
Growth 51 #93 of 187 86 #27 of 187 71 #55 of 187
Profitability 95 #10 of 185 97 #7 of 185 72 #53 of 185
Financial Health 46 #118 of 219 76 #53 of 219 50 #110 of 219
Shareholder Returns 57 #67 of 153 73 #42 of 153 55 #69 of 153
Overall 58 77 58
  • LECO ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MSA ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • IR ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodLECOMSAIRSPY
1 month -4.8%+0.1%-2.0% -0.8%
3 months +0.7%+4.0%-11.9% +3.5%
6 months -1.0%+6.8%-11.3% +7.0%
Year to date +7.9%+14.0%-5.9% +12.2%
1 year +7.0%+8.6%-6.6% +13.0%
3 years +49.8%+15.9%+25.5% +86.3%
3 years, per year +14.4%+5.0%+7.9% +23.1%
5 years +79.7%+20.0%+40.1% +68.6%
5 years, per year +12.4%+3.7%+7.0% +11.0%
10 years +293.7%+228.8%— +258.0%
10 years, per year +14.7%+12.6%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureLECOMSAIRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.6%25.5%33.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.2%24.1%31.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.160.821.23 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.240.34-0.20 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.3%-34.9%-36.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.5%-10.1%-24.5% -1.8%
52-week high $298.88$203.08$98.76 $779.14
52-week low $220.64$152.94$68.54 $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.

MultipleLECOMSAIR
P/E now vs peer median 25.5xmedian 26.0x 22.5xmedian 26.0x 30.3xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 1.9x 3.6xmedian 1.9x 3.6xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.2xmedian 14.0x 15.3xmedian 14.0x 16.5xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.0xmedian 21.4x 19.9xmedian 21.4x 23.7xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 9.1xmedian 2.2x 5.0xmedian 2.2x 2.8xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 3.63median 1.26 0.12median 1.26 2.44median 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 monthsLECOMSAIR
Revenue $4.48B $1.95B $7.94B
Gross profit $1.61B $925.88M $3.40B
Operating income $767.80M $413.17M $1.44B
Net income $553.55M $314.01M $966.00M
Free cash flow $542.40M $354.30M $1.22B
R&D – $68.19M –
EPS (diluted) $10.05 $8.11 $2.45
Cash & equivalents $242.44M $200.06M $1.17B
Total debt $1.15B $599.74M $4.77B
Shares (diluted) 55.10M 38.70M 391.90M
Enterprise value $14.27B $6.22B $24.62B

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
MetricLECOMSAIR
P/E 25.5x 22.5x 30.3x
P/FCF 26.0x 19.9x 23.7x
P/Operating cash flow 20.5x 17.4x 21.4x
P/S 3.1x 3.6x 3.6x
P/B 9.1x 5.0x 2.8x
P/Tangible book 9.1x 6.3x 4.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.2x 15.3x 16.5x
EV/EBIT 19.5x 18.0x 22.6x
EV/Revenue 3.3x 3.8x 4.1x
EV/FCF 27.7x 21.0x 26.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.8x 18.4x 24.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.63 0.12 2.44

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLECOMSAIR
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.3% 6.5% 7.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.2% 5.2% 7.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.0% 8.2% 5.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.2% 6.7% 9.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.0% 10.8% 28.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 34.5% 13.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 10.1% 13.4% 82.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 186.8% 10.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 11.8% 15.3% 87.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 188.5% 12.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.1% 26.3% -5.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.8% 96.0% 9.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.4% 40.3% -6.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 3.7% 72.1% 9.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLECOMSAIR
Gross margin 36.0% 47.6% 42.8%
EBITDA margin 19.4% 25.1% 24.8%
Operating margin 17.1% 21.2% 18.1%
Pretax margin 16.1% 21.1% 15.2%
Net margin 12.4% 16.1% 12.1%
FCF margin 12.1% 18.2% 15.4%
Operating cash flow margin 15.3% 20.9% 17.0%
Return on equity 36.1% 22.8% 9.4%
Return on assets 14.4% 12.2% 5.3%
Return on invested capital 21.4% 15.9% 7.6%
Return on capital employed 25.9% 18.0% 9.2%
Asset turnover 1.2x 0.8x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.3x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 1.0% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLECOMSAIR
Debt / assets 30.2% 23.1% 26.2%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.4x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.0x 0.8x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 2.1x 1.7x 3.9x
Liabilities / assets 59.2% 46.1% 43.7%
Equity / assets 40.8% 53.9% 56.3%
Interest coverage – 12.7x 5.6x
Current ratio 2.0x 3.2x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.9x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.7x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 7.53 5.99 3.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLECOMSAIR
Dividend yield 1.2% 1.2% 0.1%
Net buyback yield 1.6% 1.8% 2.8%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 2.9% 3.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 30.9% – 3.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 31.5% – 2.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.3% – -2.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.0% – -1.0%

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.

ConsensusLECOMSAIR
Forward P/E 22.3xFY2026 19.6xFY2026 22.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.62FY2026 $9.33FY2026 $3.35FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.7%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026 +0.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +0.4% +3.4% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.84BFY2026 $1.98BFY2026 $8.35BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.5%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026 +9.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.5% +19.6% +6.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLECOMSAIR
Held by institutions 81.3% 91.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 701 457 894
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.5% +3.0% -1.5%
Institutions buying 297 236 367
Institutions selling 266 147 360
Buyers to sellers 1.12 1.61 1.02

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.

LECOMSAIR
LECO 1.00 0.58 0.64
MSA 0.58 1.00 0.56
IR 0.64 0.56 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LECO, MSA and IR?

Ingersoll Rand (IR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) $15.41B, MSA Safety (MSA) $6.94B, Ingersoll Rand (IR) $29.49B.

Which stock is cheaper, LECO, MSA and IR?

MSA Safety (MSA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 27.8x, MSA Safety (MSA) 22.1x, Ingersoll Rand (IR) 30.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, MSA Safety (MSA) is cheapest (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 22.3x, MSA Safety (MSA) 19.6x, Ingersoll Rand (IR) 22.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +9.3%, MSA Safety (MSA) +6.5%, Ingersoll Rand (IR) +7.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

MSA Safety (MSA) has the highest net margin (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 12.4%, MSA Safety (MSA) 16.1%, Ingersoll Rand (IR) 12.1%). On return on invested capital, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 21.4%, MSA Safety (MSA) 15.9%, Ingersoll Rand (IR) 7.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year MSA Safety (MSA) returned the most: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +7.0%, MSA Safety (MSA) +8.6%, Ingersoll Rand (IR) -6.6%. Over five years, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) compounded fastest (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +12.4%/yr, MSA Safety (MSA) +3.7%/yr, Ingersoll Rand (IR) +7.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) has the highest dividend yield: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 0.01%, MSA Safety (MSA) 0.00%, Ingersoll Rand (IR) 0.00%. MSA Safety (MSA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, MSA Safety (MSA) has been the steadiest (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 29.6%, MSA Safety (MSA) 25.5%, Ingersoll Rand (IR) 33.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LECO, MSA and IR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, MSA Safety (MSA) 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.