MSA vs LECO vs SWK Stock Comparison

MSA Safety, Lincoln Electric Holdings and Stanley Black & Decker Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MSA MSA Safety Inc
$174.09 -4.0% 1M +11.6% 1Y
Market cap
$6.79B
P/E
22.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.01B
Div. yield
–
Power Tools Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionMSALECOSWKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.79B $15.20B $17.80B SWK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.4x 26.4x 28.7x MSA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.7x 24.5x 18.0x SWK
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.1% +11.1% +0.6% LECO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.0% 12.4% 4.1% MSA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 13.5% 22.6% 6.6% LECO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 1.0x 2.3x LECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.03% SWK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +11.6% +22.7% +57.6% SWK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.4%/yr +14.9%/yr -10.7%/yr LECO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.4% 31.0% 36.6% MSA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 72/100 56/100 59/100 MSA

Percentile Scorecard

MSALECOSWK

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

AxisMSALECOSWK
Valuation 56 #91 of 204 36 #131 of 204 89 #24 of 204
Growth 83 #33 of 191 47 #101 of 191 80 #39 of 191
Profitability 92 #17 of 189 94 #13 of 189 52 #91 of 189
Financial Health 49 #114 of 221 46 #119 of 221 28 #159 of 221
Shareholder Returns 82 #30 of 158 55 #71 of 158 46 #86 of 158
Overall 72 56 59
  • MSA ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • LECO ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • SWK ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMSALECOSWKSPY
1 month -4.0%+3.7%+14.5% -2.0%
3 months -10.0%+2.5%+2.2% -2.2%
6 months +3.1%+6.7%+35.0% +4.2%
Year to date +8.7%+18.7%+40.8% +10.6%
1 year +11.6%+22.7%+57.6% +10.4%
3 years +8.5%+54.7%+17.7% +73.6%
3 years, per year +2.7%+15.7%+5.6% +20.2%
5 years +12.8%+100.0%-43.2% +61.6%
5 years, per year +2.4%+14.9%-10.7% +10.1%
10 years +211.2%+344.6%-8.3% +261.3%
10 years, per year +12.0%+16.1%-0.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMSALECOSWKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.4%31.0%36.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 23.8%31.3%32.3% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.731.191.37 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.460.731.57 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.9%-35.3%-71.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.3%-4.8%-2.0% -3.2%
52-week high $203.08$298.88$106.74 $779.14
52-week low $152.94$220.64$62.12 $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.

MultipleMSALECOSWK
P/E now vs peer median 22.2xmedian 25.4x 26.9xmedian 25.4x 25.3xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 1.9x 3.3xmedian 1.9x 1.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.7xmedian 14.5x 18.0xmedian 14.5x 11.0xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 20.8xmedian 23.6x 30.1xmedian 23.6x 12.3xmedian 23.6x
P/B now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 2.2x 9.9xmedian 2.2x 1.8xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.20median 1.21 3.85median 1.21 -4.81median 1.21

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 monthsMSALECOSWK
Revenue $2.01B $4.64B $15.25B
Gross profit $952.50M $1.65B $4.86B
Operating income $407.09M $802.52M $1.32B
Net income $302.79M $575.27M $620.50M
Free cash flow $322.01M $511.89M $1.29B
R&D $71.63M – –
EPS (diluted) $7.83 $10.48 $4.12
Cash & equivalents $187.25M $283.24M $592.40M
Total debt $1.12B $1.15B $4.76B
Shares (diluted) 38.65M 54.87M 150.65M
Enterprise value $6.06B $14.07B $16.33B

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
MetricMSALECOSWK
P/E 22.2x 26.9x 25.3x
P/FCF 20.8x 30.1x 12.3x
P/Operating cash flow 17.9x 23.1x 10.2x
P/S 3.3x 3.3x 1.0x
P/B 4.7x 9.9x 1.8x
P/Tangible book 7.7x 9.9x 2.7x
EV/EBITDA 15.7x 18.0x 11.0x
EV/EBIT 18.8x 20.3x 15.1x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 3.5x 1.3x
EV/FCF 23.7x 31.8x 15.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.3x 24.4x 12.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.20 3.85 -4.81

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSALECOSWK
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.1% 11.1% 0.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 4.5% -2.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 10.0% 7.7% 9.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 5.5% 11.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8.4% 12.9% 51.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 26.8% 7.0% 149.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.2% 9.6% 29.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 108.0% 4.9% -7.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 9.9% 11.0% 30.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 109.4% 7.0% -5.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.5% 0.7% 104.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 217.6% 0.5% 96.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% -6.3% 211.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 96.8% -3.6% 110.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSALECOSWK
Gross margin 47.3% 35.5% 31.9%
EBITDA margin 24.1% 19.5% 11.9%
Operating margin 20.2% 17.3% 8.6%
Pretax margin 19.8% 16.2% 5.6%
Net margin 15.0% 12.4% 4.1%
FCF margin 16.0% 11.0% 8.5%
Operating cash flow margin 18.7% 14.4% 10.2%
Return on equity 21.4% 37.0% 6.9%
Return on assets 10.3% 14.9% 3.0%
Return on invested capital 13.5% 22.6% 6.6%
Return on capital employed 15.9% 27.7% 8.0%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.2x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.2x 2.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.5% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSALECOSWK
Debt / assets 34.2% 29.5% 23.7%
Debt / equity 0.8x 0.7x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 1.0x 2.3x
Debt / FCF 3.5x 2.2x 3.7x
Liabilities / assets 56.3% 60.1% 55.4%
Equity / assets 43.7% 39.9% 44.6%
Interest coverage 10.8x – 2.8x
Current ratio 2.7x 1.9x 1.4x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 4.16 7.77 2.53

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSALECOSWK
Dividend yield 1.2% 1.1% 3.2%
Net buyback yield 2.0% 1.8% 1.7%
Shareholder yield 3.3% 2.9% 4.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 30.0% 81.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 33.7% 39.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.5% 1.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 6.3% 1.9%

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.

ConsensusMSALECOSWK
Forward P/E 18.7xFY2026 24.5xFY2026 18.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $9.33FY2026 $11.62FY2026 $5.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.7%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026 +24.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +3.4% +0.4% +5.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.98BFY2026 $4.84BFY2026 $16.13BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +5.2%FY2026 +14.5%FY2026 +6.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.6% +5.5% +0.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSALECOSWK
Held by institutions 91.0% 81.3% 95.7%
Institutions holding 457 705 773
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.0% +5.5% +5.3%
Institutions buying 236 299 418
Institutions selling 147 266 244
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.12 1.71

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.

MSALECOSWK
MSA 1.00 0.57 0.55
LECO 0.57 1.00 0.57
SWK 0.55 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSA, LECO and SWK?

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) is the largest by market capitalisation: MSA Safety (MSA) $6.79B, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) $15.20B, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) $17.80B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSA, LECO and SWK?

MSA Safety (MSA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (MSA Safety (MSA) 22.4x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 26.4x, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 28.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) is cheapest (MSA Safety (MSA) 18.7x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 24.5x, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 18.0x). 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: MSA Safety (MSA) +8.1%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +11.1%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) +0.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

MSA Safety (MSA) has the highest net margin (MSA Safety (MSA) 15.0%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 12.4%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 4.1%). On return on invested capital, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) leads (MSA Safety (MSA) 13.5%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 22.6%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 6.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) returned the most: MSA Safety (MSA) +11.6%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +22.7%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) +57.6%. Over five years, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) compounded fastest (MSA Safety (MSA) +2.4%/yr, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +14.9%/yr, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) -10.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) has the highest dividend yield: MSA Safety (MSA) 0.00%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 0.01%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 0.03%. MSA Safety (MSA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, MSA Safety (MSA) has been the steadiest (MSA Safety (MSA) 25.4%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 31.0%, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 36.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) leads on 4. 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.