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ETN vs. XYL: Eaton vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

How do Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL) 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 Xylem (XYL) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ETN is classified in Electrical Equipment while XYL is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemETNXYL
NameEaton Corporation plcXylem Inc.
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 USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1972October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ETN
XYL
GSPC
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
Total Return (1Y)-2.33%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)19.68%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.50%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.57%30.74%
Beta (5Y)1.140.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.46%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.32M2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ETN and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.15-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.21-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 19.55% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Eaton (ETN) at 12.18% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Xylem (XYL) at 11.94%, which keeps about the industry-typical 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 17.85% and Xylem (XYL) at 15.95% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
ROE (TTM)19.55%9.76%
ROA (TTM)7.22%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)12.18%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.85%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.16%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Eaton (ETN) at 10.33% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Eaton (ETN) at 10.00% and Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.33%5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.77%17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)10.00%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)19.39%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 1.23 and Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 1.00 and Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.231.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.000.29
Net Debt / EBITDA2.851.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 1.33% and Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 43.36% and Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.33%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)43.36%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Eaton (ETN) at 34.14 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Eaton (ETN) at 4.15 sits in the pricier quartile — ETN costs more per dollar of sales.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Eaton (ETN) at 6.33 carries an above-peer premium to book — ETN is pricier on assets.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Eaton (ETN) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Eaton (ETN) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricETNXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.1421.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.152.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.332.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.29%5.39%