LECO vs PRLB vs EMR Stock Comparison

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Proto Labs and Emerson Electric Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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PRLB Proto Labs Inc
$91.00 -6.1% 1M +70.1% 1Y
Market cap
$1.99B
P/E
65.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$560.54M
Div. yield
–
3D Printing Industrials
2 wins
EMR Emerson Electric Co
$167.78 +5.3% 1M +24.7% 1Y
Market cap
$95.27B
P/E
37.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.64B
Div. yield
0.01%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Lincoln Electric Holdings leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Lincoln Electric Holdings 7, Emerson Electric 3, Proto Labs 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLECOPRLBEMRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.52B $1.99B $95.27B EMR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.0x 65.2x 37.0x LECO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 24.1x 39.7x 24.9x LECO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.1% +10.2% +4.8% LECO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.4% 5.4% 13.8% EMR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 22.6% — 10.9% LECO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.0x — 1.8x LECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% EMR
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.6% +70.1% +24.7% PRLB
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.5%/yr +8.8%/yr +11.6%/yr LECO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.8% 46.9% 31.8% LECO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 60/100 45/100 PRLB

Percentile Scorecard

LECOPRLBEMR

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

AxisLECOPRLBEMR
Valuation 36 #130 of 203 32 #138 of 203 33 #136 of 203
Growth 43 #107 of 188 83 #32 of 188 39 #115 of 188
Profitability 95 #11 of 184 49 #94 of 184 87 #25 of 184
Financial Health 45 #119 of 217 95 #11 of 217 30 #153 of 217
Shareholder Returns 57 #66 of 153 38 #96 of 153 37 #97 of 153
Overall 55 60 45
  • LECO ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • PRLB 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

PeriodLECOPRLBEMRSPY
1 month +3.5%-6.1%+5.3% +0.9%
3 months +8.8%+27.6%+15.1% +5.9%
6 months +9.0%+46.2%+22.9% +8.5%
Year to date +17.1%+79.9%+26.4% +13.3%
1 year +16.6%+70.1%+24.7% +12.4%
3 years +62.5%+290.9%+90.6% +88.1%
3 years, per year +17.6%+57.6%+24.0% +23.5%
5 years +97.0%+52.1%+73.0% +68.2%
5 years, per year +14.5%+8.8%+11.6% +11.0%
10 years +328.4%+104.7%+235.0% +263.4%
10 years, per year +15.7%+7.4%+12.9% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureLECOPRLBEMRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.8%46.9%31.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.2%39.1%33.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.182.081.54 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.541.500.78 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.3%-65.6%-29.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.1%-7.7%0.0% -0.9%
52-week high $298.88$98.64$167.78 $779.14
52-week low $220.64$46.81$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.

MultipleLECOPRLBEMR
P/E now vs peer median 26.5xmedian 25.4x 71.6xmedian 25.4x 36.4xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 1.9x 3.9xmedian 1.9x 5.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.7xmedian 14.3x 29.3xmedian 14.3x 17.0xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 29.7xmedian 21.8x 38.4xmedian 21.8x 27.0xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 9.8xmedian 2.2x 3.1xmedian 2.2x 4.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 3.80median 1.41 2.24median 1.41 -0.88median 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 monthsLECOPRLBEMR
Revenue $4.64B $560.54M $18.64B
Gross profit $1.65B $254.60M $9.91B
Operating income $802.52M $36.81M $4.68B
Net income $575.27M $30.48M $2.58B
Free cash flow $511.89M $56.66M $3.46B
R&D – $42.36M –
EPS (diluted) $10.48 $1.25 $4.59
Cash & equivalents $283.24M $127.92M $2.18B
Total debt $1.15B – $13.11B
Shares (diluted) 54.87M 24.42M 561.10M
Enterprise value $14.38B $1.46B $88.01B

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
MetricLECOPRLBEMR
P/E 26.5x 71.6x 36.4x
P/FCF 29.7x 38.4x 27.0x
P/Operating cash flow 22.8x 27.7x 23.9x
P/S 3.3x 3.9x 5.0x
P/B 9.8x 3.1x 4.6x
P/Tangible book 9.8x 3.2x 8.0x
EV/EBITDA 17.7x 29.3x 17.0x
EV/EBIT 20.0x 55.3x 22.4x
EV/Revenue 3.5x 3.6x 5.6x
EV/FCF 31.4x 35.9x 30.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.1x 25.9x 26.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.80 2.24 -0.88

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLECOPRLBEMR
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.1% 10.2% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 4.9% 7.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.7% 13.3% 5.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 6.8% 11.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.9% 121.9% 9.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 33.2% 13.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.6% 105.8% -3.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 31.6% -42.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 11.0% 103.1% -2.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 32.0% -41.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 0.7% 10.6% 4.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.5% 7.7% 10.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -6.3% -14.0% 4.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.6% 11.9% 9.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLECOPRLBEMR
Gross margin 35.5% 45.4% 53.2%
EBITDA margin 19.5% 12.4% 33.1%
Operating margin 17.3% 6.6% 25.1%
Pretax margin 16.2% 7.6% 17.6%
Net margin 12.4% 5.4% 13.8%
FCF margin 11.0% 10.1% 18.6%
Operating cash flow margin 14.4% 14.0% 21.0%
Return on equity 37.0% 4.4% 12.7%
Return on assets 14.9% 3.9% 6.1%
Return on invested capital 22.6% – 10.9%
Return on capital employed 27.7% 5.2% 14.9%
Asset turnover 1.2x 0.7x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 2.6x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 2.6% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLECOPRLBEMR
Debt / assets 29.5% – 31.1%
Debt / equity 0.7x – 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.0x – 1.8x
Debt / FCF 2.2x – 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 60.1% 12.6% 51.7%
Equity / assets 39.9% 87.4% 48.3%
Interest coverage – – –
Current ratio 1.9x 3.6x 0.9x
Quick ratio 1.0x 3.2x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.3x 2.0x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 7.71 14.72 4.73

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLECOPRLBEMR
Dividend yield 1.1% – 1.3%
Net buyback yield 1.8% 0.6% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 0.6% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 30.0% – 47.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) 33.7% – 35.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.5% – 3.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 6.3% – 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.

ConsensusLECOPRLBEMR
Forward P/E 24.1xFY2026 39.7xFY2026 24.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.62FY2026 $2.29FY2026 $6.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.7%FY2026 +38.0%FY2026 +12.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +0.4% +10.0% +15.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.84BFY2026 $612.40MFY2026 $18.13BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.5%FY2026 +14.9%FY2026 +0.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.5% +4.8% +15.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLECOPRLBEMR
Held by institutions 81.3% 93.7% 82.1%
Institutions holding 701 276 2,291
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.5% +1.7% +0.9%
Institutions buying 297 145 1,081
Institutions selling 266 89 798
Buyers to sellers 1.12 1.63 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.

LECOPRLBEMR
LECO 1.00 0.50 0.62
PRLB 0.50 1.00 0.50
EMR 0.62 0.50 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LECO, PRLB and EMR?

Emerson Electric (EMR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) $15.52B, Proto Labs (PRLB) $1.99B, Emerson Electric (EMR) $95.27B.

Which stock is cheaper, LECO, PRLB and EMR?

Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 27.0x, Proto Labs (PRLB) 65.2x, Emerson Electric (EMR) 37.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) is cheapest (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 24.1x, Proto Labs (PRLB) 39.7x, Emerson Electric (EMR) 24.9x). 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) +11.1%, Proto Labs (PRLB) +10.2%, Emerson Electric (EMR) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Emerson Electric (EMR) has the highest net margin (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 12.4%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 5.4%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 13.8%). On return on invested capital, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 22.6%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 10.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Proto Labs (PRLB) returned the most: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +16.6%, Proto Labs (PRLB) +70.1%, Emerson Electric (EMR) +24.7%. Over five years, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) compounded fastest (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +14.5%/yr, Proto Labs (PRLB) +8.8%/yr, Emerson Electric (EMR) +11.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Emerson Electric (EMR) has the highest dividend yield: Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 0.01%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 0.00%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 0.01%. Proto Labs (PRLB) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) has been the steadiest (Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 30.8%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 46.9%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 31.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LECO, PRLB 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, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 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.