AXON vs. ITW: Axon Enterprise vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AXON is classified in Aerospace & Defense while ITW is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile Item	AXON	ITW
Name	Axon Enterprise, Inc.	Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Aerospace & Defense	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	25.49 billion USD	79.85 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 19, 2001	March 13, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AXON

ITW

GSPC

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
Total Return (1Y)	-48.97%	20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	12.54%	10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.75%	6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AXON

ITW

GSPC

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	64.30%	22.16%
Beta (5Y)	1.55	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.70%	-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.06M	1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AXON and ITW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.83	0.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-1.14	1.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 7.61%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

7.61%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
AXON: 7.61%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

101.65%

ITW: 101.65%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 19.39% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 7.57%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

7.57%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
AXON: 7.57%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

19.39%

Max: 27.47%
ITW: 19.39%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 28.05% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 4.63% operates in the bottom quartile.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

4.63%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
AXON: 4.63%
Min: -12.63%

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

28.05%

Max: 36.60%
ITW: 28.05%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
ROE (TTM)	7.61%	101.65%
ROA (TTM)	0.81%	17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.57%	19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	4.63%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	58.64%	44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 33.47% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 0.92% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at -10.42% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at -68.54% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	33.47%	0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	32.79%	0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-68.54%	-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-9.39%	2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 3.00 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

3.00

Max: 5.22
AXON: 3.00
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

1.29

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
ITW: 1.29
Min: 0.36

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 0.79 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

0.79

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
AXON: 0.79
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

2.98

ITW: 2.98
Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.00	1.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.79	2.98
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.98	1.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Axon Enterprise (AXON) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Illinois Tool Works (ITW) reports a yield of 2.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
AXON: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

2.29%

Max: 2.66%
ITW: 2.29%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Axon Enterprise (AXON) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Illinois Tool Works (ITW) reports a payout of 58.43%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
AXON: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

58.43%

Max: 67.39%
ITW: 58.43%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 100.64 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for AXON’s trailing earnings.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

100.64

AXON: 100.64
Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

25.06

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
ITW: 25.06
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 7.46 and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 4.80 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

7.46

Max: 7.54
AXON: 7.46
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

4.80

Max: 7.54
ITW: 4.80
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Axon Enterprise (AXON) at 6.74 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AXON

Capital Goods industry group

6.74

Max: 9.66
AXON: 6.74
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

ITW

Capital Goods industry group

25.42

ITW: 25.42
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Axon Enterprise (AXON) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	AXON	ITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	100.64	25.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	7.46	4.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.74	25.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.38%	2.89%