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Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Competitors

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$284.18 -0.49 (-0.17%)
Closing price 08/19/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$284.33 +0.16 (+0.06%)
As of 08/19/2026 07:30 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

ITW vs. LECO, AIT, AOS, DE, and DOV

Should you buy Illinois Tool Works stock or one of its competitors? Illinois Tool Works's main competitors and comparable companies include Lincoln Electric (LECO), Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT), A. O. Smith (AOS), Deere & Company (DE), and Dover (DOV). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "industrials" sector.

How does Illinois Tool Works compare to Lincoln Electric?

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) and Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

In the previous week, Illinois Tool Works had 4 more articles in the media than Lincoln Electric. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for Illinois Tool Works and 31 mentions for Lincoln Electric. Illinois Tool Works' average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat Lincoln Electric's score of 1.06 indicating that Illinois Tool Works is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Lincoln Electric
16 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Illinois Tool Works
30 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Illinois Tool Works has higher revenue and earnings than Lincoln Electric. Illinois Tool Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lincoln Electric, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Lincoln Electric$4.23B3.60$520.53M$10.0127.93
Illinois Tool Works$16.04B5.04$3.07B$11.0325.76

Illinois Tool Works has a net margin of 19.39% compared to Lincoln Electric's net margin of 12.35%. Illinois Tool Works' return on equity of 101.72% beat Lincoln Electric's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Lincoln Electric12.35% 39.23% 15.25%
Illinois Tool Works 19.39%101.72%19.64%

Lincoln Electric presently has a consensus target price of $307.22, indicating a potential upside of 9.89%. Illinois Tool Works has a consensus target price of $281.25, indicating a potential downside of 1.03%. Given Lincoln Electric's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Lincoln Electric is more favorable than Illinois Tool Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Lincoln Electric
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.70
Illinois Tool Works
5 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.77

Lincoln Electric has a beta of 1.2, suggesting that its share price is 20% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Illinois Tool Works has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the broader market.

79.6% of Lincoln Electric shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of Lincoln Electric shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Lincoln Electric pays an annual dividend of $3.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Illinois Tool Works pays an annual dividend of $6.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lincoln Electric pays out 31.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Illinois Tool Works pays out 58.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Lincoln Electric has raised its dividend for 30 consecutive years and Illinois Tool Works has raised its dividend for 55 consecutive years. Illinois Tool Works is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Illinois Tool Works beats Lincoln Electric on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Illinois Tool Works compare to Applied Industrial Technologies?

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) and Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

Applied Industrial Technologies currently has a consensus price target of $384.29, indicating a potential upside of 10.82%. Illinois Tool Works has a consensus price target of $281.25, indicating a potential downside of 1.03%. Given Applied Industrial Technologies' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Applied Industrial Technologies is more favorable than Illinois Tool Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Applied Industrial Technologies
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00
Illinois Tool Works
5 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.77

In the previous week, Illinois Tool Works had 10 more articles in the media than Applied Industrial Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for Illinois Tool Works and 25 mentions for Applied Industrial Technologies. Illinois Tool Works' average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat Applied Industrial Technologies' score of 0.74 indicating that Illinois Tool Works is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Applied Industrial Technologies
8 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Illinois Tool Works
30 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

93.5% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.6% of Applied Industrial Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Illinois Tool Works has higher revenue and earnings than Applied Industrial Technologies. Illinois Tool Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Applied Industrial Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Applied Industrial Technologies$4.97B2.56$414.52M$10.9631.64
Illinois Tool Works$16.04B5.04$3.07B$11.0325.76

Applied Industrial Technologies pays an annual dividend of $2.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Illinois Tool Works pays an annual dividend of $6.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Applied Industrial Technologies pays out 18.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Illinois Tool Works pays out 58.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Applied Industrial Technologies has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years and Illinois Tool Works has raised its dividend for 55 consecutive years. Illinois Tool Works is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Applied Industrial Technologies has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Illinois Tool Works has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its share price is 1% less volatile than the broader market.

Illinois Tool Works has a net margin of 19.39% compared to Applied Industrial Technologies' net margin of 8.35%. Illinois Tool Works' return on equity of 101.72% beat Applied Industrial Technologies' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Applied Industrial Technologies8.35% 22.17% 13.43%
Illinois Tool Works 19.39%101.72%19.64%

Summary

Illinois Tool Works beats Applied Industrial Technologies on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Illinois Tool Works compare to A. O. Smith?

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) and Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

A. O. Smith has a beta of 1.17, suggesting that its stock price is 17% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Illinois Tool Works has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the broader market.

Illinois Tool Works has a net margin of 19.39% compared to A. O. Smith's net margin of 13.15%. Illinois Tool Works' return on equity of 101.72% beat A. O. Smith's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
A. O. Smith13.15% 27.88% 15.21%
Illinois Tool Works 19.39%101.72%19.64%

A. O. Smith pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Illinois Tool Works pays an annual dividend of $6.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. A. O. Smith pays out 40.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Illinois Tool Works pays out 58.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. A. O. Smith has increased its dividend for 31 consecutive years and Illinois Tool Works has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years. Illinois Tool Works is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

In the previous week, Illinois Tool Works had 34 more articles in the media than A. O. Smith. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for Illinois Tool Works and 1 mentions for A. O. Smith. A. O. Smith's average media sentiment score of 1.75 beat Illinois Tool Works' score of 1.34 indicating that A. O. Smith is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
A. O. Smith
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
Illinois Tool Works
30 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Illinois Tool Works has higher revenue and earnings than A. O. Smith. A. O. Smith is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Illinois Tool Works, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
A. O. Smith$3.83B2.26$546.20M$3.6017.72
Illinois Tool Works$16.04B5.04$3.07B$11.0325.76

76.1% of A. O. Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of A. O. Smith shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

A. O. Smith currently has a consensus price target of $67.75, indicating a potential upside of 6.20%. Illinois Tool Works has a consensus price target of $281.25, indicating a potential downside of 1.03%. Given A. O. Smith's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe A. O. Smith is more favorable than Illinois Tool Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
A. O. Smith
2 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
Illinois Tool Works
5 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.77

Summary

Illinois Tool Works beats A. O. Smith on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Illinois Tool Works compare to Deere & Company?

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) and Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and profitability.

79.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.6% of Deere & Company shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Deere & Company shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, Deere & Company had 52 more articles in the media than Illinois Tool Works. MarketBeat recorded 87 mentions for Deere & Company and 35 mentions for Illinois Tool Works. Illinois Tool Works' average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat Deere & Company's score of 1.19 indicating that Illinois Tool Works is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Illinois Tool Works
30 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Deere & Company
60 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Illinois Tool Works pays an annual dividend of $6.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Deere & Company pays an annual dividend of $6.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Illinois Tool Works pays out 58.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Deere & Company pays out 36.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Illinois Tool Works has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years and Deere & Company has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years. Illinois Tool Works is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Illinois Tool Works has a net margin of 19.39% compared to Deere & Company's net margin of 10.09%. Illinois Tool Works' return on equity of 101.72% beat Deere & Company's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Illinois Tool Works19.39% 101.72% 19.64%
Deere & Company 10.09%18.25%4.51%

Deere & Company has higher revenue and earnings than Illinois Tool Works. Illinois Tool Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Deere & Company, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Illinois Tool Works$16.04B5.04$3.07B$11.0325.76
Deere & Company$45.68B3.43$5.03B$17.6532.86

Illinois Tool Works has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Deere & Company has a beta of 0.9, suggesting that its share price is 10% less volatile than the broader market.

Illinois Tool Works presently has a consensus target price of $281.25, suggesting a potential downside of 1.03%. Deere & Company has a consensus target price of $641.98, suggesting a potential upside of 10.67%. Given Deere & Company's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Deere & Company is more favorable than Illinois Tool Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Illinois Tool Works
5 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.77
Deere & Company
0 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.61

Summary

Illinois Tool Works beats Deere & Company on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Illinois Tool Works compare to Dover?

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) and Dover (NYSE:DOV) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

In the previous week, Illinois Tool Works had 23 more articles in the media than Dover. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for Illinois Tool Works and 12 mentions for Dover. Illinois Tool Works' average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat Dover's score of 1.24 indicating that Illinois Tool Works is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Illinois Tool Works
30 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Dover
9 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Illinois Tool Works pays an annual dividend of $6.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Dover pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Illinois Tool Works pays out 58.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Dover pays out 25.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Illinois Tool Works has raised its dividend for 55 consecutive years and Dover has raised its dividend for 70 consecutive years.

Illinois Tool Works has a net margin of 19.39% compared to Dover's net margin of 13.48%. Illinois Tool Works' return on equity of 101.72% beat Dover's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Illinois Tool Works19.39% 101.72% 19.64%
Dover 13.48%18.32%10.26%

Illinois Tool Works currently has a consensus target price of $281.25, suggesting a potential downside of 1.03%. Dover has a consensus target price of $238.29, suggesting a potential upside of 17.79%. Given Dover's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Dover is more favorable than Illinois Tool Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Illinois Tool Works
5 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.77
Dover
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
10 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

Illinois Tool Works has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Dover has a beta of 1.16, suggesting that its share price is 16% more volatile than the broader market.

79.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.5% of Dover shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Dover shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Illinois Tool Works has higher revenue and earnings than Dover. Dover is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Illinois Tool Works, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Illinois Tool Works$16.04B5.04$3.07B$11.0325.76
Dover$8.09B3.37$1.09B$8.3024.37

Summary

Illinois Tool Works beats Dover on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding ITW and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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ITW vs. The Competition

MetricIllinois Tool WorksMachinery IndustryIndustrials SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$81.07B$11.53B$10.72B$24.19B
Dividend Yield2.26%2.19%97.12%3.73%
P/E Ratio25.7620.9426.7730.14
Price / Sales5.0465.07346.8219.90
Price / Cash23.8523.3124.5931.97
Price / Book27.974.114.536.84
Net Income$3.07B$358.84M$610.97M$1.07B
7 Day Performance-2.36%-0.93%-0.97%-0.57%
1 Month Performance4.50%1.17%3.20%2.97%
1 Year Performance8.43%13.46%15.27%18.26%

Illinois Tool Works Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ITW
Illinois Tool Works
4.4636 of 5 stars
$284.18
-0.2%
$281.25
-1.0%
+7.7%$81.07B$16.04B25.7643,000
LECO
Lincoln Electric
4.7475 of 5 stars
$277.33
-1.6%
$303.13
+9.3%
+16.1%$15.12B$4.48B27.7112,000
AIT
Applied Industrial Technologies
4.4785 of 5 stars
$358.43
-0.4%
$336.71
-6.1%
+32.0%$13.25B$4.56B33.856,800
AOS
A. O. Smith
3.6553 of 5 stars
$62.39
-2.5%
$67.75
+8.6%
-12.4%$8.48B$3.83B17.3311,500
DE
Deere & Company
4.5872 of 5 stars
$608.68
-2.0%
$642.98
+5.6%
+18.6%$164.31B$46.32B34.4973,100

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This page (NYSE:ITW) was last updated on 8/20/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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