SWK vs ITW vs LECO Stock Comparison

Stanley Black & Decker, Illinois Tool Works and Lincoln Electric Holdings Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$293.51 +11.1% 1M +19.8% 1Y
Market cap
$83.42B
P/E
25.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.65B
Div. yield
2.23%
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, Stanley Black & Decker 4, Lincoln Electric Holdings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSWKITWLECOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $17.86B $83.42B $15.13B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.6x 25.9x 26.4x ITW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.4x 27.5x 24.0x SWK
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.6% +4.8% +11.1% LECO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.1% 19.4% 12.4% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.6% 27.1% 22.6% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 1.8x 1.0x LECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.82% 2.23% 1.13% SWK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +77.5% +19.8% +24.1% SWK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -8.5%/yr +4.6%/yr +14.3%/yr LECO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.6% 21.8% 30.9% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 48/100 55/100 SWK

Percentile Scorecard

SWKITWLECO

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

AxisSWKITWLECO
Valuation 86 #30 of 204 22 #159 of 204 36 #131 of 204
Growth 80 #39 of 191 35 #125 of 191 46 #103 of 191
Profitability 52 #92 of 189 100 #2 of 189 94 #13 of 189
Financial Health 28 #159 of 221 27 #162 of 221 47 #118 of 221
Shareholder Returns 42 #92 of 159 57 #69 of 159 54 #73 of 159
Overall 58 48 55
  • SWK ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • ITW ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • LECO ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodSWKITWLECOSPY
1 month +31.8%+11.1%+1.6% -1.0%
3 months +14.5%-1.3%0.0% -0.4%
6 months +45.9%+12.7%+1.6% +4.5%
Year to date +59.2%+19.2%+16.6% +12.4%
1 year +77.5%+19.8%+24.1% +13.6%
3 years +33.0%+25.9%+51.9% +76.4%
3 years, per year +10.0%+8.0%+15.0% +20.8%
5 years -35.7%+25.4%+94.9% +63.7%
5 years, per year -8.5%+4.6%+14.3% +10.4%
10 years +3.2%+157.4%+332.3% +267.7%
10 years, per year +0.3%+9.9%+15.8% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureSWKITWLECOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.6%21.8%30.9% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.3%20.8%31.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.480.491.14 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.010.910.78 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -71.6%-28.9%-35.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-2.0%-6.5% -1.6%
52-week high $118.24$299.60$298.88 $779.14
52-week low $62.12$241.07$220.64 $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.

MultipleSWKITWLECO
P/E now vs peer median 28.6xmedian 25.5x 25.9xmedian 25.5x 26.4xmedian 25.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.2xmedian 1.9x 5.0xmedian 1.9x 3.3xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.1xmedian 14.4x 19.0xmedian 14.4x 17.6xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 13.9xmedian 23.3x 29.1xmedian 23.3x 29.6xmedian 23.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 2.2x 26.5xmedian 2.2x 9.7xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -5.44median 1.16 8.94median 1.16 3.78median 1.16

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 monthsSWKITWLECO
Revenue $15.25B $16.65B $4.64B
Gross profit $4.86B $7.38B $1.65B
Operating income $1.32B $4.43B $802.52M
Net income $620.50M $3.23B $575.27M
Free cash flow $1.29B $2.87B $511.89M
EPS (diluted) $4.12 $11.31 $10.48
Cash & equivalents $592.40M $809.00M $283.24M
Total debt $4.76B $9.37B $1.15B
Shares (diluted) 150.65M 285.30M 54.87M
Enterprise value $16.38B $80.09B $13.99B

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
MetricSWKITWLECO
P/E 28.6x 25.9x 26.4x
P/FCF 13.9x 29.1x 29.6x
P/Operating cash flow 11.5x 25.6x 22.7x
P/S 1.2x 5.0x 3.3x
P/B 2.0x 26.5x 9.7x
P/Tangible book 3.0x 32.1x 9.7x
EV/EBITDA 12.1x 19.0x 17.6x
EV/EBIT 16.7x 20.8x 19.9x
EV/Revenue 1.4x 5.5x 3.4x
EV/FCF 17.1x 32.1x 31.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.2x 28.2x 24.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.44 8.94 3.78

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSWKITWLECO
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.6% 4.8% 11.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.0% 1.1% 4.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.3% 5.7% 7.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 2.8% 5.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 51.4% 6.4% 12.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 149.6% 3.1% 7.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 29.7% 6.7% 9.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -7.7% 0.9% 4.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 9.1% 11.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -5.3% 2.9% 7.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 104.3% -0.5% 0.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 96.8% -0.5% 0.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 211.7% 0.8% -6.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 110.2% 0.4% -3.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSWKITWLECO
Gross margin 31.9% 44.3% 35.5%
EBITDA margin 11.9% 29.0% 19.5%
Operating margin 8.6% 26.6% 17.3%
Pretax margin 5.6% 25.2% 16.2%
Net margin 4.1% 19.4% 12.4%
FCF margin 8.5% 17.2% 11.0%
Operating cash flow margin 10.2% 19.6% 14.4%
Return on equity 6.9% 106.9% 37.0%
Return on assets 3.0% 19.6% 14.9%
Return on invested capital 6.6% 27.1% 22.6%
Return on capital employed 8.0% 38.9% 27.7%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.0x 1.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.5x 1.0x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.5% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSWKITWLECO
Debt / assets 23.7% 56.8% 29.5%
Debt / equity 0.5x 3.0x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 1.8x 1.0x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 3.3x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 55.4% 81.0% 60.1%
Equity / assets 44.6% 19.0% 39.9%
Interest coverage 2.8x 14.3x –
Current ratio 1.4x 1.3x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.64 8.40 7.69

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSWKITWLECO
Dividend yield 2.8% 2.2% 1.1%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 1.9% 1.8%
Shareholder yield 4.3% 4.2% 2.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) 81.0% 57.4% 30.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) 39.0% 64.6% 33.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.3% 5.2% 3.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.9% 5.1% 6.3%

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.

ConsensusSWKITWLECO
Forward P/E 20.4xFY2026 27.5xFY2026 24.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.81FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $11.62FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +24.4%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.2% +19.3% +0.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $16.13BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026 $4.84BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.6%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +14.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.4% +11.4% +5.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSWKITWLECO
Held by institutions 95.7% 84.9% 81.3%
Institutions holding 773 1,971 705
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.3% +0.8% +5.5%
Institutions buying 418 847 299
Institutions selling 244 751 266
Buyers to sellers 1.71 1.13 1.12

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.

SWKITWLECO
SWK 1.00 0.63 0.52
ITW 0.63 1.00 0.61
LECO 0.52 0.61 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SWK, ITW and LECO?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) $17.86B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $83.42B, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) $15.13B.

Which stock is cheaper, SWK, ITW and LECO?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 28.6x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.9x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 26.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) is cheapest (Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 20.4x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.5x, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 24.0x). 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: Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) +0.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.8%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +11.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest net margin (Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 4.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 12.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 6.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 22.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) returned the most: Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) +77.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +19.8%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +24.1%. Over five years, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) compounded fastest (Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) -8.5%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.6%/yr, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) +14.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) has the highest dividend yield: Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 2.82%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 2.23%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 1.13%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 38.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.8%, Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) 30.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.