ESLT vs. ITW: Elbit Systems vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile Item	ESLT	ITW
Name	Elbit Systems Ltd.	Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Country/Region	Israel	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	32.00 billion USD	79.85 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	November 27, 1996	March 13, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ESLT

ITW

GSPC

Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
Total Return (1Y)	55.34%	20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	57.29%	10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	37.24%	6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ESLT

ITW

GSPC

Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) trades around 1.27M shares per day on average, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) sees only 88.09K — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	47.34%	22.16%
Beta (5Y)	0.10	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.54%	-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	88.09K	1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ESLT 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.08	0.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.76	1.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 15.24%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

15.24%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
ESLT: 15.24%
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%

Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 7.44%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

7.44%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
ESLT: 7.44%
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%

Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 9.57%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

9.57%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
ESLT: 9.57%
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%

Elbit Systems (ESLT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
ROE (TTM)	15.24%	101.65%
ROA (TTM)	3.87%	17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.44%	19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	9.57%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	25.03%	44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 16.27% 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.

Elbit Systems (ESLT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 58.64% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at -10.42% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for ESLT.

Elbit Systems (ESLT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	16.27%	0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	12.93%	0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)	58.64%	-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	22.61%	2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 1.40 and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

1.40

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
ESLT: 1.40
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

Elbit Systems (ESLT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 0.19 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

0.19

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
ESLT: 0.19
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

Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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 Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.40	1.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.19	2.98
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.11	1.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.29% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 0.58% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ITW the richer one.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

0.58%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
ESLT: 0.58%
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%

Elbit Systems (ESLT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 23.33% 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.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

23.33%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
ESLT: 23.33%
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%

Elbit Systems (ESLT) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.58%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	23.33%	58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 51.36 sits in the richer quartile — ESLT needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

51.36

Max: 59.38
ESLT: 51.36
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 3.74 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.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

3.74

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
ESLT: 3.74
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

Elbit Systems (ESLT) 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: Elbit Systems (ESLT) at 7.24 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ESLT

Capital Goods industry group

7.24

Max: 9.66
ESLT: 7.24
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Elbit Systems (ESLT) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	ESLT	ITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	51.36	25.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.74	4.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.24	25.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.12%	2.89%