ROK vs MMM vs ITW Stock Comparison

Rockwell Automation, 3M and Illinois Tool Works Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$429.70 -1.0% 1M +20.5% 1Y
Market cap
$48.18B
P/E
40.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins
MMM 3M Co
$172.79 +1.9% 1M +2.5% 1Y
Market cap
$89.28B
P/E
25.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.25B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$276.01 +0.7% 1M +12.3% 1Y
Market cap
$78.81B
P/E
24.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.47B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 5, Rockwell Automation 5, 3M 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionROKMMMITWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $48.18B $89.28B $78.81B MMM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 40.1x 25.2x 24.7x ITW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.4x 19.5x 25.9x MMM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.3% +1.7% +4.3% ROK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.4% 14.0% 19.4% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.0% 22.0% 27.1% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 1.6x 1.9x ROK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.02% ITW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.5% +2.5% +12.3% ROK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.5%/yr +3.0%/yr +4.4%/yr ROK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.3% 25.6% 21.3% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 49/100 48/100 ROK

Percentile Scorecard

ROKMMMITW

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

AxisROKMMMITW
Valuation 15 #173 of 203 37 #129 of 203 26 #150 of 203
Growth 52 #91 of 187 59 #77 of 187 33 #125 of 187
Profitability 95 #11 of 185 86 #26 of 185 100 #2 of 185
Financial Health 33 #148 of 219 18 #179 of 219 23 #170 of 219
Shareholder Returns 75 #39 of 153 43 #87 of 153 59 #63 of 153
Overall 54 49 48
  • ROK ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MMM 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

PeriodROKMMMITWSPY
1 month -1.0%+1.9%+0.7% -0.8%
3 months -7.8%-3.0%-3.0% +3.5%
6 months +5.6%+18.5%+2.3% +7.0%
Year to date +10.4%+7.9%+12.1% +12.2%
1 year +20.5%+2.5%+12.3% +13.0%
3 years +64.0%+136.1%+23.6% +86.3%
3 years, per year +17.9%+33.2%+7.3% +23.1%
5 years +37.0%+15.9%+24.2% +68.6%
5 years, per year +6.5%+3.0%+4.4% +11.0%
10 years +256.2%+24.1%+143.4% +258.0%
10 years, per year +13.5%+2.2%+9.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureROKMMMITWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%25.6%21.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.8%24.7%20.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.400.690.47 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.660.100.58 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.6%-53.4%-28.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.2%-6.0%-7.9% -1.8%
52-week high $495.08$183.81$299.60 $779.14
52-week low $348.51$141.20$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.

MultipleROKMMMITW
P/E now vs peer median 39.7xmedian 26.0x 25.4xmedian 26.0x 24.7xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.9x 3.5xmedian 1.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 14.0x 16.1xmedian 14.0x 18.4xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.7xmedian 21.4x 33.4xmedian 21.4x 26.9xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 13.6xmedian 2.2x 21.4xmedian 2.2x 27.2xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -9.05median 1.26 0.71median 1.26 8.37median 1.26

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 monthsROKMMMITW
Revenue $8.97B $25.25B $16.47B
Gross profit $4.41B $9.98B $7.27B
Operating income $1.77B $4.74B $4.36B
Net income $1.20B $3.58B $3.19B
Free cash flow $1.50B $2.68B $2.92B
R&D $716.00M $1.21B –
EPS (diluted) $10.76 $6.77 $11.13
Cash & equivalents $479.00M $4.84B $839.00M
Total debt $13.81B $15.00B $9.69B
Shares (diluted) 111.60M 522.60M 287.00M
Enterprise value $46.37B $70.72B $75.37B

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
MetricROKMMMITW
P/E 39.7x 25.4x 24.7x
P/FCF 31.7x 33.4x 26.9x
P/Operating cash flow 27.6x 24.6x 23.6x
P/S 5.3x 3.5x 4.8x
P/B 13.6x 21.4x 27.2x
P/Tangible book 17.1x 42.2x 33.6x
EV/EBITDA 24.1x 16.1x 18.4x
EV/EBIT 28.5x 20.9x 20.0x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 3.9x 5.3x
EV/FCF 33.6x 37.0x 29.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 29.2x 27.3x 26.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -9.05 0.71 8.37

Growth

14 metrics
MetricROKMMMITW
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.3% 1.7% 4.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 10.7% 0.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.9% -1.8% 5.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 17.0% 2.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% -3.7% 6.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 2.9% 33.4% 3.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 23.8% 4.8% -5.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -5.5% 35.4% 1.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.2% 7.1% -3.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.4% 35.8% 3.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.8% 42.8% 5.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.8% -18.1% 3.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 68.6% 7.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.6% -18.0% 4.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricROKMMMITW
Gross margin 49.1% 39.5% 44.2%
EBITDA margin 23.3% 24.4% 28.9%
Operating margin 19.7% 18.8% 26.5%
Pretax margin 14.7% 17.5% 25.0%
Net margin 13.4% 14.0% 19.4%
FCF margin 16.8% 10.6% 17.7%
Operating cash flow margin 19.3% 14.4% 20.2%
Return on equity 30.9% 101.3% 104.3%
Return on assets 9.8% 9.8% 19.5%
Return on invested capital 21.0% 22.0% 27.1%
Return on capital employed 23.6% 18.7% 41.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.7x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.0x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.8% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricROKMMMITW
Debt / assets 29.4% 37.9% 58.8%
Debt / equity 0.9x 3.6x 3.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 1.6x 1.9x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 5.6x 3.3x
Liabilities / assets 68.5% 89.5% 82.4%
Equity / assets 31.5% 10.5% 17.6%
Interest coverage 12.8x – 14.5x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.4x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.8x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 5.88 4.10 8.00

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricROKMMMITW
Dividend yield 1.3% 1.8% 2.4%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 3.1% 2.3%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 4.8% 4.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 44.8% 57.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 59.9% 62.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.2% 5.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -21.4% 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.

ConsensusROKMMMITW
Forward P/E 34.4xFY2026 19.5xFY2026 25.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.50FY2026 $8.88FY2026 $10.67FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.7%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.3% +16.7% +19.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.50BFY2026 $23.87BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +19.4% +17.6% +11.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersROKMMMITW
Held by institutions 89.2% 74.5% 84.9%
Institutions holding 1,540 2,208 1,969
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +0.8% +0.8%
Institutions buying 805 914 846
Institutions selling 437 837 750
Buyers to sellers 1.84 1.09 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.

ROKMMMITW
ROK 1.00 0.28 0.37
MMM 0.28 1.00 0.56
ITW 0.37 0.56 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ROK, MMM and ITW?

3M (MMM) is the largest by market capitalisation: Rockwell Automation (ROK) $48.18B, 3M (MMM) $89.28B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $78.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, ROK, MMM and ITW?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 40.1x, 3M (MMM) 25.2x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, 3M (MMM) is cheapest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 34.4x, 3M (MMM) 19.5x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.9x). 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%, 3M (MMM) +1.7%, 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%, 3M (MMM) 14.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%, 3M (MMM) 22.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Rockwell Automation (ROK) returned the most: Rockwell Automation (ROK) +20.5%, 3M (MMM) +2.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +12.3%. Over five years, Rockwell Automation (ROK) compounded fastest (Rockwell Automation (ROK) +6.5%/yr, 3M (MMM) +3.0%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest dividend yield: Rockwell Automation (ROK) 0.00%, 3M (MMM) 0.02%, 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%, 3M (MMM) 25.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ROK, MMM 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 5. 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.