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GNRC vs. ITW: Generac vs. Illinois Tool Works Stock Comparison

How do Generac (GNRC) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Profile ItemGNRCITW
NameGenerac Holdings Inc.Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization10.43 billion USD79.85 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 11, 2010March 13, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC
ITW
GSPC
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
Total Return (1Y)23.38%20.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)23.05%10.62%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-15.31%6.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC
ITW
GSPC
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)59.48%22.16%
Beta (5Y)1.840.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)-81.73%-28.05%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.22M1.27M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GNRC 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 Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.320.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.501.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Generac (GNRC) at 10.64%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
GNRC
10.64%
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%
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at 6.52%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
GNRC
6.52%
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%
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at 11.67%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
GNRC
11.67%
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%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
ROE (TTM)10.64%101.65%
ROA (TTM)4.24%17.13%
Net Margin (TTM)6.52%19.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.67%28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.18%44.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 0.92% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.02%0.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.67%0.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)-50.09%-10.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-20.83%2.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ITW.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
GNRC
1.97
Q1
1.43
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
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
GNRC
0.47
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
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Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.971.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.472.98
Net Debt / EBITDA1.651.76

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Illinois Tool Works (ITW) reports a yield of 2.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
GNRC
0.00%
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%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Illinois Tool Works (ITW) reports a payout of 58.43%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
GNRC
0.00%
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%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%58.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
GNRC
34.87
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
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 4.80 sits in the pricier quartile — ITW costs more per dollar of sales.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
GNRC
2.26
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
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices above its benchmark range — ITW looks rich relative to book.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
GNRC
3.46
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
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Illinois Tool Works (ITW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
MetricGNRCITW
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.8725.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.264.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.4625.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.21%2.89%