Seek Returns

DE vs. ITW: Deere vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

How do Deere (DE) 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

Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) both belong to the Machinery industry, though DE is classified under Agricultural & Farm Machinery while ITW falls under Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components.

Company profile comparison for Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile ItemDEITW
NameDeere & CompanyIllinois Tool Works Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryAgricultural & Farm MachineryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization181.09 billion USD79.85 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1972March 13, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DE
ITW
GSPC
Loading price history…
Deere (DE) 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
Total Return (1Y)49.27%20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.81%10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)15.67%6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DE
ITW
GSPC
Loading price history…
Deere (DE) 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)33.18%22.16%
Beta (5Y)0.880.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)-33.81%-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.23M1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
DE 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 Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.360.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.261.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Deere (DE) at 18.24%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

18.24%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
DE
18.24%
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%
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) at 10.17%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

10.17%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
DE
10.17%
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%
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) at 13.37%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

13.37%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
DE
13.37%
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%
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
ROE (TTM)18.24%101.65%
ROA (TTM)3.76%17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)10.17%19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.37%28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)25.18%44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Deere (DE) at -11.59% and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 0.92% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

Loading chart…
Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) at -27.79% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Loading chart…
Deere (DE) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)-11.59%0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-4.50%0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)-27.79%-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-7.37%2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Deere (DE) at 2.13 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.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.13

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
DE
2.13
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
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) 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: Deere (DE) at 2.30 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 is above its industry benchmark range.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.30

Max
2.33
DE
2.30
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
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) 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 Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.131.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.302.98
Net Debt / EBITDA6.701.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.29% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Deere (DE) at 0.98% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ITW the richer one.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
DE
0.98%
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%
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Deere (DE) at 36.02% and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 58.43% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

36.02%

Max
67.39%
DE
36.02%
Q3
28.02%
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%
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.98%2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)36.02%58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Deere (DE) at 37.33 sits in the richer quartile — DE needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

37.33

Max
59.38
DE
37.33
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
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Deere (DE) at 3.78 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.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

3.78

Max
7.54
DE
3.78
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
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) 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: Deere (DE) at 6.47 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

DE

Capital Goods industry group

6.47

Max
9.66
DE
6.47
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
Loading chart…
Deere (DE) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Deere (DE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricDEITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)37.3325.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.784.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.4725.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.49%2.89%