GEV vs. ITW: GE Vernova vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do GE Vernova (GEV) 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

GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GEV is classified in Electrical Equipment while ITW is classified in Machinery.

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) carries decades of public-market history since March 13, 1973, while GE Vernova (GEV) listed on March 27, 2024 — long-window comparisons have far more historical data on the ITW side.

Company profile comparison for GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile Item	GEV	ITW
Name	GE Vernova Inc.	Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Heavy Electrical Equipment	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	204.89 billion USD	79.85 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 27, 2024	March 13, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GEV

ITW

GSPC

GE Vernova (GEV) 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 GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for GE Vernova (GEV) 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 GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
Total Return (1Y)	44.63%	20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	--	10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	--	6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GEV

ITW

GSPC

GE Vernova (GEV) 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 GE Vernova (GEV) 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 GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	55.54%	22.16%
Beta (5Y)	1.12	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-38.29%	-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.65M	1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GEV 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 GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	0.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.08	1.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both GE Vernova (GEV) at 93.04% and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

93.04%

GEV: 93.04%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
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%

GE Vernova (GEV) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both GE Vernova (GEV) at 23.54% and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 19.39% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

23.54%

Max: 27.47%
GEV: 23.54%
Q3: 12.10%
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%

GE Vernova (GEV) 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 GE Vernova (GEV) at 12.77%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

12.77%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
GEV: 12.77%
Median: 11.12%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
ROE (TTM)	93.04%	101.65%
ROA (TTM)	3.22%	17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	23.54%	19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.77%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.79%	44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

GE Vernova (GEV) at 8.97% 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.

GE Vernova (GEV) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

GE Vernova (GEV) at 217.03% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at -10.42%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

GE Vernova (GEV) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.97%	0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.68%	0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)	217.03%	-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both GE Vernova (GEV) at 0.83 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.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

0.83

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
GEV: 0.83
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

GE Vernova (GEV) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

GE Vernova (GEV) at 0.30 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

0.30

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
GEV: 0.30
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

GE Vernova (GEV) 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 GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.83	1.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.30	2.98
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.50	1.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.29% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while GE Vernova (GEV) at 0.26% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ITW the richer one.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

0.26%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
GEV: 0.26%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

GE Vernova (GEV) at 4.59% 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.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
GEV: 4.59%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.26%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	4.59%	58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both GE Vernova (GEV) at 20.32 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.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

20.32

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
GEV: 20.32
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both GE Vernova (GEV) at 4.65 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.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

4.65

Max: 7.54
GEV: 4.65
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

GE Vernova (GEV) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both GE Vernova (GEV) at 18.00 and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

GEV

Capital Goods industry group

18.00

GEV: 18.00
Max: 9.66
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for GE Vernova (GEV) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Metric	GEV	ITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.32	25.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.65	4.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	18.00	25.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.79%	2.89%