BWXT vs. ITW: BWX Technologies vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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

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

Company profile comparison for BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile Item	BWXT	ITW
Name	BWX Technologies, 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	10.95 billion USD	79.85 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 2, 2010	March 13, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BWXT

ITW

GSPC

BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
Total Return (1Y)	-33.33%	20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.43%	10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	20.57%	6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BWXT

ITW

GSPC

BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	45.97%	22.16%
Beta (5Y)	0.73	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.64%	-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.19M	1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BWXT 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.82	0.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-1.11	1.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 28.27% also sits in the top quartile.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

28.27%

Max: 40.55%
BWXT: 28.27%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
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%

BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 10.41%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

10.41%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
BWXT: 10.41%
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%

BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 11.55%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

11.55%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
BWXT: 11.55%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
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%

BWX Technologies (BWXT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
ROE (TTM)	28.27%	101.65%
ROA (TTM)	5.49%	17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.41%	19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.55%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.61%	44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 18.30% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 0.92% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

BWX Technologies (BWXT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 16.61% and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at -10.42% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BWX Technologies (BWXT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.30%	0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	12.73%	0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)	16.61%	-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.25%	2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 1.88 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ITW.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

1.88

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
BWXT: 1.88
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

BWX Technologies (BWXT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but ITW is more stretched: BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 1.43 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 is above its industry benchmark range.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

1.43

Max: 2.33
BWXT: 1.43
Q3: 1.12
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

BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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 BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.88	1.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.43	2.98
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.92	1.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.29% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 0.92% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ITW the richer one.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

0.92%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
BWXT: 0.92%
Median: 0.24%
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%

BWX Technologies (BWXT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 26.04% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 58.43% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

26.04%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
BWXT: 26.04%
Median: 6.86%
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%

BWX Technologies (BWXT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.92%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	26.04%	58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 29.37 and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

29.37

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
BWXT: 29.37
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 3.04 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 4.80 sits in the pricier quartile — ITW costs more per dollar of sales.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

3.04

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
BWXT: 3.04
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

BWX Technologies (BWXT) 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: BWX Technologies (BWXT) at 7.72 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

BWXT

Capital Goods industry group

7.72

Max: 9.66
BWXT: 7.72
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	BWXT	ITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	29.37	25.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.04	4.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.72	25.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.64%	2.89%