ROK vs ITW vs RBC Stock Comparison

Rockwell Automation, Illinois Tool Works and RBC Bearings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$426.18 -1.6% 1M +19.3% 1Y
Market cap
$47.75B
P/E
39.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
1 win
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$275.75 +0.8% 1M +7.1% 1Y
Market cap
$79.10B
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.47B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins
RBC RBC Bearings INC
$471.91 -5.7% 1M +15.9% 1Y
Market cap
$15.10B
P/E
47.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 6, RBC Bearings 4, Rockwell Automation 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionROKITWRBCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $47.75B $79.10B $15.10B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.8x 24.8x 47.1x ITW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.1x 25.8x 33.8x ITW
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.3% +4.3% +17.3% RBC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.4% 19.4% 16.4% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.0% 27.1% 8.4% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 1.9x 1.1x RBC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +19.3% +7.1% +15.9% ROK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.1%/yr +4.2%/yr +16.0%/yr RBC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.3% 21.8% 28.3% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 48/100 53/100 RBC

Percentile Scorecard

ROKITWRBC

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

AxisROKITWRBC
Valuation 15 #173 of 203 24 #154 of 203 14 #175 of 203
Growth 52 #91 of 188 33 #127 of 188 90 #19 of 188
Profitability 94 #12 of 187 100 #2 of 187 77 #43 of 187
Financial Health 32 #152 of 222 23 #172 of 222 69 #69 of 222
Shareholder Returns 74 #41 of 153 60 #62 of 153 16 #128 of 153
Overall 53 48 53
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • RBC ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodROKITWRBCSPY
1 month -1.6%+0.8%-5.7% -1.0%
3 months -7.8%-2.6%-20.6% +2.9%
6 months +6.2%+2.4%-19.9% +6.4%
Year to date +9.5%+12.0%+5.2% +11.4%
1 year +19.3%+7.1%+15.9% +13.1%
3 years +60.3%+23.6%+108.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +17.0%+7.3%+27.8% +21.5%
5 years +34.7%+22.8%+110.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year +6.1%+4.2%+16.0% +10.9%
10 years +246.5%+143.9%+563.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.2%+9.3%+20.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureROKITWRBCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%21.8%28.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.7%21.8%29.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.390.451.11 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.620.330.56 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.6%-28.9%-35.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.9%-8.0%-27.3% -2.5%
52-week high $495.08$299.60$648.89 $779.14
52-week low $348.51$241.07$406.45 $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.

MultipleROKITWRBC
P/E now vs peer median 39.4xmedian 25.9x 24.7xmedian 25.9x 46.5xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x 7.9xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.9xmedian 13.7x 18.3xmedian 13.7x 27.0xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.5xmedian 21.1x 26.9xmedian 21.1x 40.1xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 2.3x 27.1xmedian 2.3x 4.5xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -8.98median 1.19 8.36median 1.19 1.98median 1.19

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 monthsROKITWRBC
Revenue $8.97B $16.47B $1.95B
Gross profit $4.41B $7.27B $882.80M
Operating income $1.77B $4.36B $460.70M
Net income $1.20B $3.19B $320.60M
Free cash flow $1.50B $2.92B $385.20M
R&D $716.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $10.76 $11.13 $10.11
Cash & equivalents $479.00M $839.00M $124.50M
Total debt $13.81B $9.69B $3.74B
Shares (diluted) 111.60M 287.00M 31.71M
Enterprise value $45.94B $75.66B $14.71B

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
MetricROKITWRBC
P/E 39.4x 24.7x 46.5x
P/FCF 31.5x 26.9x 40.1x
P/Operating cash flow 27.3x 23.6x 33.1x
P/S 5.3x 4.8x 7.9x
P/B 13.5x 27.1x 4.5x
P/Tangible book 17.0x 33.6x 7.4x
EV/EBITDA 23.9x 18.3x 27.0x
EV/EBIT 28.3x 20.0x 35.0x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 5.3x 8.3x
EV/FCF 33.3x 29.9x 41.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 28.9x 26.2x 34.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -8.98 8.36 1.98

Growth

14 metrics
MetricROKITWRBC
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.3% 4.3% 17.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 0.8% 9.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.9% 5.3% 19.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 2.7% 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% 6.4% 23.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 3.4% 13.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 23.8% -5.1% 26.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.5% 1.0% 21.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.2% -3.1% 29.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.4% 3.0% 23.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% 5.8% 47.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 3.1% 27.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 7.2% 48.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 4.1% 28.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricROKITWRBC
Gross margin 49.1% 44.2% 45.2%
EBITDA margin 23.3% 28.9% 30.6%
Operating margin 19.7% 26.5% 23.6%
Pretax margin 14.7% 25.0% 21.1%
Net margin 13.4% 19.4% 16.4%
FCF margin 16.8% 17.7% 19.7%
Operating cash flow margin 19.3% 20.2% 23.9%
Return on equity 30.9% 104.3% 9.4%
Return on assets 9.8% 19.5% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 21.0% 27.1% 8.4%
Return on capital employed 23.6% 41.9% 9.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.0x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.4% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricROKITWRBC
Debt / assets 29.4% 58.8% 15.5%
Debt / equity 0.9x 3.3x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 1.9x 1.1x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 3.3x 2.1x
Liabilities / assets 68.5% 82.4% 33.4%
Equity / assets 31.5% 17.6% 66.6%
Interest coverage 12.8x 14.5x 4.4x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.1x 2.5x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.7x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 5.85 8.00 6.69

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricROKITWRBC
Dividend yield 1.3% 2.4% –
Net buyback yield 1.5% 2.3% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 4.7% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 57.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 62.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 5.5% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 5.1% –

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.

ConsensusROKITWRBC
Forward P/E 34.1xFY2026 25.8xFY2026 33.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.50FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $13.97FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.7%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.3% +19.3% +13.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.50BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026 $2.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.4% +11.4% +24.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersROKITWRBC
Held by institutions 89.2% 84.9% 95.3%
Institutions holding 1,540 1,969 685
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +0.8% +1.5%
Institutions buying 805 846 360
Institutions selling 437 750 240
Buyers to sellers 1.84 1.13 1.50

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.

ROKITWRBC
ROK 1.00 0.37 0.51
ITW 0.37 1.00 0.38
RBC 0.51 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ROK, ITW and RBC?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Rockwell Automation (ROK) $47.75B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $79.10B, RBC Bearings (RBC) $15.10B.

Which stock is cheaper, ROK, ITW and RBC?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 39.8x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.8x, RBC Bearings (RBC) 47.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is cheapest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 34.1x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.8x, RBC Bearings (RBC) 33.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

RBC Bearings (RBC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.3%, RBC Bearings (RBC) +17.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest net margin (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 16.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 8.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Rockwell Automation (ROK) returned the most: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +19.3%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +7.1%, RBC Bearings (RBC) +15.9%. Over five years, RBC Bearings (RBC) compounded fastest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.1%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.2%/yr, RBC Bearings (RBC) +16.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Rockwell Automation (ROK) 0.00%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 0.00%. Rockwell Automation (ROK) and RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.3%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.8%, RBC Bearings (RBC) 28.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ROK, ITW and RBC?

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