Seek Returns

LECO vs. RKLB: Lincoln Electric vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

How do Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but LECO is classified in Machinery while RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Lincoln Electric (LECO) has more than two decades of public-market history since April 7, 1994, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile ItemLECORKLB
NameLincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.Rocket Lab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization14.91 billion USD33.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateApril 7, 1994November 24, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LECO
RKLB
GSPC
Loading price history…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
Total Return (1Y)27.30%12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.31%138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.33%31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LECO
RKLB
GSPC
Loading price history…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Lincoln Electric (LECO) is closer to market-like at 1.17 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) is heavily traded at around 19.51M shares per day, whereas Lincoln Electric (LECO) sees a more moderate 409.99K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.13%95.71%
Beta (5Y)1.173.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.29%-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)409.99K19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
LECO and RKLB 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.740.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.110.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports 38.75%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-7.92%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
RKLB
-7.92%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports 12.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-21.51%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
RKLB
-21.51%
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports 18.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-24.57%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
RKLB
-24.57%
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
ROE (TTM)38.75%-7.92%
ROA (TTM)13.32%-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)12.40%-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.29%-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.54%37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 5.60% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports EPS growth of 14.36%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.60%37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)14.36%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.05%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.91 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

5.48

RKLB
5.48
Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.04

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RKLB
0.04
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): 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 Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.915.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.780.04
Net Debt / EBITDA1.00--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.16%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)30.30%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Lincoln Electric (LECO) trades at 26.40 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
RKLB
--
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; LECO is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 3.21 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 clears its benchmark range — RKLB looks notably rich on 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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

44.12

RKLB
44.12
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 9.59 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

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

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

9.09

Max
9.66
RKLB
9.09
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLECORKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.40--
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.2144.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)9.599.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.68%-0.74%