MSA vs IEX vs EMR Stock Comparison

MSA Safety, Idex and Emerson Electric Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MSA MSA Safety Inc
$179.23 -1.8% 1M +7.5% 1Y
Market cap
$6.84B
P/E
21.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Power Tools Industrials
6 wins
IEX Idex Corp /De/
$233.15 +1.3% 1M +39.1% 1Y
Market cap
$17.52B
P/E
33.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.59B
Div. yield
0.01%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
3 wins
EMR Emerson Electric Co
$166.25 +5.2% 1M +23.6% 1Y
Market cap
$93.37B
P/E
36.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.64B
Div. yield
0.01%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

MSA Safety leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (MSA Safety 6, Emerson Electric 3, Idex 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSAIEXEMRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.84B $17.52B $93.37B EMR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.8x 33.7x 36.2x MSA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.2x 25.5x 24.6x MSA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +7.3% +4.8% IEX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.1% 14.5% 13.8% MSA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 9.6% 10.9% MSA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 1.3x 1.8x MSA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.01% EMR
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +7.5% +39.1% +23.6% IEX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.2%/yr +0.9%/yr +11.3%/yr EMR
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.5% 22.1% 31.8% IEX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 78/100 55/100 45/100 MSA

Percentile Scorecard

MSAIEXEMR

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

AxisMSAIEXEMR
Valuation 58 #86 of 203 37 #129 of 203 34 #134 of 203
Growth 86 #27 of 188 40 #113 of 188 40 #114 of 188
Profitability 97 #6 of 183 85 #29 of 183 86 #26 of 183
Financial Health 76 #54 of 217 71 #63 of 217 29 #154 of 217
Shareholder Returns 74 #40 of 153 43 #87 of 153 36 #99 of 153
Overall 78 55 45
  • MSA ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • IEX 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

PeriodMSAIEXEMRSPY
1 month -1.8%+1.3%+5.2% -0.2%
3 months -0.3%+3.7%+9.5% +3.9%
6 months +7.2%+13.5%+20.1% +8.2%
Year to date +11.9%+31.0%+25.3% +12.9%
1 year +7.5%+39.1%+23.6% +12.3%
3 years +13.7%+22.1%+88.9% +87.4%
3 years, per year +4.4%+6.9%+23.6% +23.3%
5 years +16.9%+4.6%+70.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year +3.2%+0.9%+11.3% +10.9%
10 years +224.9%+171.1%+233.6% +261.1%
10 years, per year +12.5%+10.5%+12.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMSAIEXEMRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.5%22.1%31.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.1%19.9%33.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.810.681.54 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.291.770.74 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.9%-35.9%-29.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -11.7%-3.1%0.0% -1.2%
52-week high $203.08$240.52$166.25 $779.14
52-week low $152.94$161.68$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.

MultipleMSAIEXEMR
P/E now vs peer median 22.0xmedian 25.2x 33.2xmedian 25.2x 36.0xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x 5.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.0xmedian 14.0x 19.3xmedian 14.0x 16.8xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.5xmedian 21.7x 26.8xmedian 21.7x 26.8xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 4.9xmedian 2.3x 4.3xmedian 2.3x 4.5xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.12median 1.32 -10.16median 1.32 -0.87median 1.32

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 monthsMSAIEXEMR
Revenue $1.95B $3.59B $18.64B
Gross profit $925.88M $1.60B $9.91B
Operating income $413.17M $741.70M $4.68B
Net income $314.01M $519.50M $2.58B
Free cash flow $354.30M $641.50M $3.46B
R&D $68.19M – –
EPS (diluted) $8.11 $7.00 $4.59
Cash & equivalents $200.06M $621.30M $2.18B
Total debt $599.74M $1.86B $13.11B
Shares (diluted) 38.70M 74.20M 561.10M
Enterprise value $6.12B $15.14B $86.11B

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
MetricMSAIEXEMR
P/E 22.0x 33.2x 36.0x
P/FCF 19.5x 26.8x 26.8x
P/Operating cash flow 17.0x 24.0x 23.7x
P/S 3.6x 4.8x 5.0x
P/B 4.9x 4.3x 4.5x
P/Tangible book 6.2x 6.0x 7.9x
EV/EBITDA 15.0x 19.3x 16.8x
EV/EBIT 17.7x 24.8x 22.2x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 5.1x 5.6x
EV/FCF 20.7x 28.7x 29.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.0x 25.7x 26.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.12 -10.16 -0.87

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSAIEXEMR
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.5% 7.3% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 2.5% 7.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.2% 8.1% 5.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 2.5% 11.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 10.8% 11.8% 9.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 34.5% -1.2% 13.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 13.4% 10.7% -3.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 186.8% -4.0% -42.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 15.3% 12.6% -2.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 188.5% -3.3% -41.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 26.3% 11.1% 4.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 96.0% 3.1% 10.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 40.3% 9.3% 4.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 72.1% 4.0% 9.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSAIEXEMR
Gross margin 47.6% 44.7% 53.2%
EBITDA margin 25.1% 26.6% 33.1%
Operating margin 21.2% 20.7% 25.1%
Pretax margin 21.1% 19.0% 17.6%
Net margin 16.1% 14.5% 13.8%
FCF margin 18.2% 17.9% 18.6%
Operating cash flow margin 20.9% 20.0% 21.0%
Return on equity 22.8% 12.9% 12.7%
Return on assets 12.2% 7.5% 6.1%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 9.6% 10.9%
Return on capital employed 18.0% 11.7% 14.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.4x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.8% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSAIEXEMR
Debt / assets 23.1% 26.8% 31.1%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.5x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 1.3x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 1.7x 2.9x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 46.1% 42.2% 51.7%
Equity / assets 53.9% 57.8% 48.3%
Interest coverage 12.7x – –
Current ratio 3.2x 3.0x 0.9x
Quick ratio 1.9x 2.0x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.7x 1.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 5.92 5.55 4.71

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSAIEXEMR
Dividend yield 1.2% 1.2% 1.3%
Net buyback yield 1.8% 1.8% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 3.0% 3.0% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 41.1% 47.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 33.3% 35.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 1.4% 3.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 5.0% 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.

ConsensusMSAIEXEMR
Forward P/E 19.2xFY2026 25.5xFY2026 24.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $9.33FY2026 $9.14FY2026 $6.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.7%FY2026 +15.0%FY2026 +12.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +3.4% +12.0% +15.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.98BFY2026 $3.93BFY2026 $18.13BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +5.2%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026 +0.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.6% +3.0% +15.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSAIEXEMR
Held by institutions 91.0% 100.0% 82.1%
Institutions holding 457 686 2,290
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.0% +0.1% +0.9%
Institutions buying 236 351 1,080
Institutions selling 147 201 798
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.75 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.

MSAIEXEMR
MSA 1.00 0.44 0.48
IEX 0.44 1.00 0.62
EMR 0.48 0.62 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSA, IEX and EMR?

Emerson Electric (EMR) is the largest by market capitalisation: MSA Safety (MSA) $6.84B, Idex (IEX) $17.52B, Emerson Electric (EMR) $93.37B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSA, IEX and EMR?

MSA Safety (MSA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (MSA Safety (MSA) 21.8x, Idex (IEX) 33.7x, Emerson Electric (EMR) 36.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, MSA Safety (MSA) is cheapest (MSA Safety (MSA) 19.2x, Idex (IEX) 25.5x, Emerson Electric (EMR) 24.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Idex (IEX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: MSA Safety (MSA) +6.5%, Idex (IEX) +7.3%, Emerson Electric (EMR) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

MSA Safety (MSA) has the highest net margin (MSA Safety (MSA) 16.1%, Idex (IEX) 14.5%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 13.8%). On return on invested capital, MSA Safety (MSA) leads (MSA Safety (MSA) 15.9%, Idex (IEX) 9.6%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 10.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Idex (IEX) returned the most: MSA Safety (MSA) +7.5%, Idex (IEX) +39.1%, Emerson Electric (EMR) +23.6%. Over five years, Emerson Electric (EMR) compounded fastest (MSA Safety (MSA) +3.2%/yr, Idex (IEX) +0.9%/yr, Emerson Electric (EMR) +11.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Idex (IEX) has been the steadiest (MSA Safety (MSA) 25.5%, Idex (IEX) 22.1%, Emerson Electric (EMR) 31.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MSA, IEX 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, MSA Safety (MSA) 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.