ITW vs. SUNB: Illinois Tool Works vs. Sunbelt Rentals Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ITW is classified in Machinery while SUNB is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been public since March 13, 1973, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) listed only on March 2, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both ITW and SUNB need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 18.37%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

For every dollar of sales, both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 19.39% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 12.12% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 28.05% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.38% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 3.36% 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.

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at -10.42% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at -8.91% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 0.95 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but ITW is more stretched: Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.53 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 is above its industry benchmark range.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.29% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.87% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.63% 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.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 23.28 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 2.75 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.

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 4.24 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.

Valuation Metrics