ITW vs. JCI: Illinois Tool Works vs. Johnson Controls Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI) 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

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ITW is classified in Machinery while JCI is classified in Building Products.

Company profile comparison for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Profile Item	ITW	JCI
Name	Illinois Tool Works Inc.	Johnson Controls International plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Building Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Building Products
Market Capitalization	79.85 billion USD	81.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 13, 1973	September 28, 1987
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ITW

JCI

GSPC

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI), 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 Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
Total Return (1Y)	20.29%	17.11%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	10.62%	43.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.67%	15.29%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ITW

JCI

GSPC

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI), 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 Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.16%	32.91%
Beta (5Y)	0.91	1.29
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.05%	-42.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.27M	3.57M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ITW and JCI 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 Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.72	0.39
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.12	0.54

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Johnson Controls (JCI) at 21.73% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

21.73%

Max: 40.55%
JCI: 21.73%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) at 11.12%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

11.12%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
JCI: 11.12%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): 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 Johnson Controls (JCI) at 17.21%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

17.21%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
JCI: 17.21%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
ROE (TTM)	101.65%	21.73%
ROA (TTM)	17.13%	6.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.39%	11.12%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.05%	17.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.32%	37.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 2.81% 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.

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 99.60% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at -10.42% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for JCI.

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	0.92%	2.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.23%	4.57%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-10.42%	99.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.40%	31.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 and Johnson Controls (JCI) at 0.90 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.90

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
JCI: 0.90
Min: 0.36

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 0.68 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.

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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.68

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
JCI: 0.68
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Johnson Controls (JCI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.29	0.90
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.98	0.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.76	1.86

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) 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.

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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
JCI: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 58.43% and Johnson Controls (JCI) at 45.20% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

45.20%

Max: 67.39%
JCI: 45.20%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.29%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.43%	45.20%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 and Johnson Controls (JCI) at 28.61 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

28.61

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
JCI: 28.61
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Johnson Controls (JCI) at 3.19 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.

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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

3.19

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
JCI: 3.19
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Johnson Controls (JCI) at 5.99 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

JCI

Capital Goods industry group

5.99

Max: 9.66
JCI: 5.99
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Johnson Controls (JCI)
Metric	ITW	JCI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.06	28.61
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.80	3.19
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	25.42	5.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.89%	3.81%