FER vs. ITW: Ferrovial vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ferrovial (FER) 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

Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FER is classified in Construction & Engineering while ITW is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile Item	FER	ITW
Name	Ferrovial N.V.	Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Country/Region	Netherlands	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Construction & Engineering	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction & Engineering	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	42.19 billion USD	79.85 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 13, 2012	March 13, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FER

ITW

GSPC

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
Total Return (1Y)	-1.10%	20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.01%	10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.20%	6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FER

ITW

GSPC

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.38%	22.16%
Beta (5Y)	0.36	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-33.67%	-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.95M	1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FER 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.20	0.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.30	1.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Ferrovial (FER) at 11.62%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

11.62%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
FER: 11.62%
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%

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) at 6.15%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.15%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
FER: 6.15%
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%

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) at 10.45%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

10.45%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
FER: 10.45%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
ROE (TTM)	11.62%	101.65%
ROA (TTM)	2.62%	17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.15%	19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.45%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	87.14%	44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ferrovial (FER) at 5.24% 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.

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) at -72.26% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Ferrovial (FER) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.24%	0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.43%	0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-72.26%	-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	70.54%	2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 1.20 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.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.20

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
FER: 1.20
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

Ferrovial (FER) 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: Ferrovial (FER) at 1.44 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 is above its industry benchmark range.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.44

Max: 2.33
FER: 1.44
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

Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.20	1.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.44	2.98
Net Debt / EBITDA	4.39	1.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.29% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Ferrovial (FER) at 0.94% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ITW the richer one.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

0.94%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
FER: 0.94%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and FER more so: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 58.43% sits above the band, while Ferrovial (FER) at 71.24% exceeds every peer in its group.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

71.24%

FER: 71.24%
Max: 67.39%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.94%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	71.24%	58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 32.26 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.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

32.26

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
FER: 32.26
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 4.28 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.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

4.28

Max: 7.54
FER: 4.28
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

Ferrovial (FER) 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: Ferrovial (FER) at 6.59 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.59

Max: 9.66
FER: 6.59
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	FER	ITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.26	25.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.28	4.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.59	25.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.11%	2.89%