LECO vs. RBC: Lincoln Electric vs. RBC Bearings Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC) 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

Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC) are both classified in the Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components sub-industry within the broader Machinery industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Profile Item	LECO	RBC
Name	Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.	RBC Bearings Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	14.91 billion USD	15.02 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	April 7, 1994	August 10, 2005
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LECO

RBC

GSPC

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC), 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
Total Return (1Y)	27.30%	13.77%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.31%	30.63%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.33%	15.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LECO

RBC

GSPC

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC), 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	31.13%	29.69%
Beta (5Y)	1.17	1.34
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.29%	-34.92%
Avg. Volume (3M)	409.99K	309.06K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LECO and RBC 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.11	0.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 38.75% sits in the top ROE quartile, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 10.51% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for LECO.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

38.75%

Max: 40.55%
LECO: 38.75%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

10.51%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
RBC: 10.51%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 12.40% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 17.51% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

12.40%

Max: 27.47%
LECO: 12.40%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

17.51%

Max: 27.47%
RBC: 17.51%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 24.97% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 18.29%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

18.29%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
LECO: 18.29%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

24.97%

Max: 36.60%
RBC: 24.97%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
ROE (TTM)	38.75%	10.51%
ROA (TTM)	13.32%	6.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	12.40%	17.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.29%	24.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	35.54%	45.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 5.60% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 14.34% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 14.36% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 18.05% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.60%	14.34%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	8.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)	14.36%	18.05%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.05%	22.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.91 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 3.13 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

1.91

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
LECO: 1.91
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

3.13

Max: 5.22
RBC: 3.13
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 0.22 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 0.78 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

0.78

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
LECO: 0.78
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.22

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
RBC: 0.22
Min: 0.00

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.91	3.13
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.78	0.22
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.00	1.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports a yield of 1.16%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

1.16%

Max: 2.66%
LECO: 1.16%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports a payout of 30.30%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

30.30%

Max: 67.39%
LECO: 30.30%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
RBC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.16%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	30.30%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 26.40 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 42.44 sits in the richer quartile — RBC needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

26.40

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
LECO: 26.40
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

42.44

Max: 59.38
RBC: 42.44
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 3.21 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 7.42 sits in the pricier quartile — RBC costs more per dollar of sales.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

3.21

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
LECO: 3.21
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

7.42

Max: 7.54
RBC: 7.42
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 4.21 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 9.59 carries an above-peer premium to book — LECO is pricier on assets.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

9.59

Max: 9.66
LECO: 9.59
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

4.21

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
RBC: 4.21
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	LECO	RBC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.40	42.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.21	7.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	9.59	4.21
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.68%	2.22%