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ETN vs. SYM: Eaton vs. Symbotic Stock Comparison

How do Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM) 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

Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ETN is classified in Electrical Equipment while SYM is classified in Machinery.

Eaton (ETN) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 1, 1972, whereas Symbotic (SYM) listed on March 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
Profile ItemETNSYM
NameEaton Corporation plcSymbotic Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionIrelandUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization132.76 billion USD22.29 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJune 1, 1972March 9, 2021
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ETN
SYM
GSPC
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM), 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 Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
Total Return (1Y)-2.33%-44.66%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)19.68%6.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.50%30.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ETN
SYM
GSPC
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM), 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 Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Symbotic (SYM) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.05, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Eaton (ETN) is closer to market-like at 1.14 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.57%78.15%
Beta (5Y)1.142.05
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.46%-72.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.32M1.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ETN and SYM 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 Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.15-0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.21-0.93

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 19.55% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.39% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ETN.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

19.55%

Max
40.55%
ETN
19.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.39%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
SYM
4.39%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 12.18% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Symbotic (SYM) at 0.31% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

12.18%

Max
27.47%
ETN
12.18%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
SYM
0.31%
Min
-12.89%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 17.85% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.59% operates in the bottom quartile.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

17.85%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
ETN
17.85%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
SYM
4.59%
Min
-12.63%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
ROE (TTM)19.55%4.39%
ROA (TTM)7.22%0.32%
Net Margin (TTM)12.18%0.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.85%4.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.16%21.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Symbotic (SYM) at 25.65% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Eaton (ETN) at 10.33% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for SYM.

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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Eaton (ETN) reports EPS growth of 10.00%, ranked against its industry; Symbotic (SYM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.33%25.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.77%55.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)10.00%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.39%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 1.23 and Symbotic (SYM) at 1.33 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
ETN
1.23
Min
0.36

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

1.33

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
SYM
1.33
Min
0.36
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Symbotic (SYM) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Eaton (ETN) at 1.00 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
ETN
1.00
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
SYM
0.02
Min
0.00
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.231.33
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.000.02
Net Debt / EBITDA2.85-30.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports a yield of 1.33%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

1.33%

Max
2.66%
ETN
1.33%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
SYM
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Eaton (ETN) reports a payout of 43.36%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

43.36%

Max
67.39%
ETN
43.36%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
SYM
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.33%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)43.36%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 34.14 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 460.25 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SYM’s trailing earnings.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

34.14

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
ETN
34.14
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

460.25

SYM
460.25
Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Eaton (ETN) at 4.15 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Symbotic (SYM) at 8.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

4.15

Max
7.54
ETN
4.15
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

8.42

SYM
8.42
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 6.33 and Symbotic (SYM) at 6.70 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

ETN

Capital Goods industry group

6.33

Max
9.66
ETN
6.33
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max
9.66
SYM
6.70
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricETNSYM
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.14460.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.158.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.336.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.29%2.46%