Seek Returns

ITW vs. SYM: Illinois Tool Works vs. Symbotic Stock Comparison

How do Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM) 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 Symbotic (SYM) are both classified in the Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components sub-industry within the broader Machinery industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 13, 1973, whereas Symbotic (SYM) listed on March 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM)
Profile ItemITWSYM
NameIllinois Tool Works Inc.Symbotic Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization79.85 billion USD22.29 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 13, 1973March 9, 2021
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ITW
SYM
GSPC
Loading price history…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM). 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 Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
Total Return (1Y)20.29%-44.66%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)10.62%6.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)6.67%30.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ITW
SYM
GSPC
Loading price history…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Symbotic (SYM) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.05, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is closer to market-like at 0.91 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)22.16%78.15%
Beta (5Y)0.912.05
Max Drawdown (5Y)-28.05%-72.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.27M1.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
ITW and SYM 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 Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.72-0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.12-0.93

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 101.65% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Symbotic (SYM) at 4.39%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.39%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
SYM
4.39%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 19.39% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Symbotic (SYM) at 0.31% keeps a bottom-quartile 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
SYM
0.31%
Min
-12.89%
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 28.05% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Symbotic (SYM) at 4.59% operates in the bottom quartile.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

4.59%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
SYM
4.59%
Min
-12.63%
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
ROE (TTM)101.65%4.39%
ROA (TTM)17.13%0.32%
Net Margin (TTM)19.39%0.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)28.05%4.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.32%21.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Symbotic (SYM) at 25.65% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 0.92% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) reports EPS growth of -10.42%, ranked against its industry; Symbotic (SYM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.92%25.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.23%55.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)-10.42%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)2.40%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 1.29 and Symbotic (SYM) at 1.33 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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

1.33

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
SYM
1.33
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Symbotic (SYM) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.98 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
SYM
0.02
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): 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 Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.291.33
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.980.02
Net Debt / EBITDA1.76-30.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) 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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
SYM
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Symbotic (SYM) 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.

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%

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
SYM
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.29%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)58.43%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 25.06 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Symbotic (SYM) at 460.25 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SYM’s trailing earnings.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

460.25

SYM
460.25
Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 4.80 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Symbotic (SYM) at 8.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

8.42

SYM
8.42
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Symbotic (SYM) at 6.70 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

SYM

Capital Goods industry group

6.70

Max
9.66
SYM
6.70
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) vs. Symbotic (SYM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Symbotic (SYM)
MetricITWSYM
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.06460.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.808.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)25.426.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.89%2.46%