ROK vs ITW Stock Comparison

Rockwell Automation and Illinois Tool Works 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
5 wins
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

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 6, Rockwell Automation 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

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

Percentile Scorecard

ROKITW

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

AxisROKITW
Valuation 15 #173 of 203 24 #154 of 203
Growth 52 #91 of 188 33 #127 of 188
Profitability 94 #12 of 187 100 #2 of 187
Financial Health 32 #152 of 222 23 #172 of 222
Shareholder Returns 74 #41 of 153 60 #62 of 153
Overall 53 48
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodROKITWSPY
1 month -1.6%+0.8% -1.0%
3 months -7.8%-2.6% +2.9%
6 months +6.2%+2.4% +6.4%
Year to date +9.5%+12.0% +11.4%
1 year +19.3%+7.1% +13.1%
3 years +60.3%+23.6% +79.4%
3 years, per year +17.0%+7.3% +21.5%
5 years +34.7%+22.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +6.1%+4.2% +10.9%
10 years +246.5%+143.9% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.2%+9.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureROKITWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%21.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.7%21.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.390.45 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.620.33 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.6%-28.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.9%-8.0% -2.5%
52-week high $495.08$299.60 $779.14
52-week low $348.51$241.07 $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.

MultipleROKITW
P/E now vs peer median 39.4xmedian 25.9x 24.7xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.9xmedian 13.7x 18.3xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.5xmedian 21.1x 26.9xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 2.3x 27.1xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -8.98median 1.19 8.36median 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 monthsROKITW
Revenue $8.97B $16.47B
Gross profit $4.41B $7.27B
Operating income $1.77B $4.36B
Net income $1.20B $3.19B
Free cash flow $1.50B $2.92B
R&D $716.00M –
EPS (diluted) $10.76 $11.13
Cash & equivalents $479.00M $839.00M
Total debt $13.81B $9.69B
Shares (diluted) 111.60M 287.00M
Enterprise value $45.94B $75.66B

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
MetricROKITW
P/E 39.4x 24.7x
P/FCF 31.5x 26.9x
P/Operating cash flow 27.3x 23.6x
P/S 5.3x 4.8x
P/B 13.5x 27.1x
P/Tangible book 17.0x 33.6x
EV/EBITDA 23.9x 18.3x
EV/EBIT 28.3x 20.0x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 5.3x
EV/FCF 33.3x 29.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 28.9x 26.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -8.98 8.36

Growth

14 metrics
MetricROKITW
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.3% 4.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 0.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.9% 5.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 2.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% 6.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 3.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 23.8% -5.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.5% 1.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.2% -3.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.4% 3.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% 5.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 3.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 7.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 4.1%

Profitability

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

Financial Health

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

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricROKITW
Dividend yield 1.3% 2.4%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 2.3%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 4.7%
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.

ConsensusROKITW
Forward P/E 34.1xFY2026 25.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.50FY2026 $10.67FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.7%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.3% +19.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.50BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.4% +11.4%

Institutional Ownership

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

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.

ROKITW
ROK 1.00 0.37
ITW 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ROK and ITW?

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

Which stock is cheaper, ROK and ITW?

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

Which company is growing faster?

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

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%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%).

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%. Over five years, Rockwell Automation (ROK) compounded fastest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.1%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.2%/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%. Rockwell Automation (ROK) 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%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do ROK and ITW move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.37, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, ROK and ITW?

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.