GE vs. LECO: GE Aerospace vs. Lincoln Electric Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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

GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GE is classified in Industrial Conglomerates while LECO is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Profile Item	GE	LECO
Name	General Electric Company	Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Industrial Conglomerates	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Conglomerates	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	335.38 billion USD	14.91 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	April 7, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LECO

GSPC

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO), 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
Total Return (1Y)	9.16%	27.30%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	55.50%	17.31%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	37.59%	16.33%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LECO

GSPC

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO), 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.52%	31.13%
Beta (5Y)	1.39	1.17
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.94%	-34.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.48M	409.99K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GE and LECO 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 GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.14	0.74
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.20	1.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but GE Aerospace (GE) at 50.17% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 38.75% also sits in the top quartile.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

50.17%

GE: 50.17%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

38.75%

Max: 40.55%
LECO: 38.75%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both GE Aerospace (GE) at 17.31% and Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 12.40% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

17.31%

Max: 27.47%
GE: 17.31%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

12.40%

Max: 27.47%
LECO: 12.40%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.49% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 18.29%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

18.49%

Max: 36.60%
GE: 18.49%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

18.29%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
LECO: 18.29%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
ROE (TTM)	50.17%	38.75%
ROA (TTM)	5.06%	13.32%
Net Margin (TTM)	17.31%	12.40%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.49%	18.29%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.07%	35.54%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.48% and Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 5.60% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

GE Aerospace (GE) at 35.89% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 14.36% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for GE.

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.48%	5.60%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.32%	4.02%
EPS Growth (YoY)	35.89%	14.36%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	446.03%	5.05%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.91 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.98 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GE.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
GE: 0.98
Min: 0.36

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

1.91

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
LECO: 1.91
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 0.78 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 1.16 uses more debt funding than most peers.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

1.16

Max: 2.33
GE: 1.16
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

0.78

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
LECO: 0.78
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.98	1.91
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.16	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.93	1.00

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.16% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.56% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, LECO the richer one.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.56%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
GE: 0.56%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

1.16%

Max: 2.66%
LECO: 1.16%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 20.23% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 30.30% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

20.23%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
GE: 20.23%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

30.30%

Max: 67.39%
LECO: 30.30%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.56%	1.16%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	20.23%	30.30%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 26.40 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 36.94 sits in the richer quartile — GE needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

36.94

Max: 59.38
GE: 36.94
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

26.40

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
LECO: 26.40
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 3.21 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 6.38 sits in the pricier quartile — GE costs more per dollar of sales.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

6.38

Max: 7.54
GE: 6.38
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

3.21

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
LECO: 3.21
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 9.59 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and GE Aerospace (GE) at 19.06 prices even higher, above its industry range.

GE

Capital Goods industry group

19.06

GE: 19.06
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

9.59

Max: 9.66
LECO: 9.59
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

GE Aerospace (GE) vs. Lincoln Electric (LECO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for GE Aerospace (GE) and Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Metric	GE	LECO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	36.94	26.40
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.38	3.21
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	19.06	9.59
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.89%	2.68%