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LECO vs. ROK: Lincoln Electric vs. Rockwell Automation Stock Comparison

How do Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK) 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but LECO is classified in Machinery while ROK is classified in Electrical Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Profile ItemLECOROK
NameLincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.Rockwell Automation Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryElectrical Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsElectrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization14.91 billion USD41.82 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateApril 7, 1994December 31, 1981
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LECO
ROK
GSPC
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK), 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
Total Return (1Y)27.30%6.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.31%16.94%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.33%4.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LECO
ROK
GSPC
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK), 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.13%34.28%
Beta (5Y)1.171.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.29%-45.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)409.99K799.28K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LECO and ROK 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.740.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.110.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 38.75% and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 38.73% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

38.73%

Max
40.55%
ROK
38.73%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 15.68% 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%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

15.68%

Max
27.47%
ROK
15.68%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 18.29% and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 14.75% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

14.75%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
ROK
14.75%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
ROE (TTM)38.75%38.73%
ROA (TTM)13.32%9.32%
Net Margin (TTM)12.40%15.68%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.29%14.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.54%48.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Lincoln Electric (LECO) reports revenue growth of 5.60%, ranked against its industry; Rockwell Automation (ROK) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 63.49% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 14.36% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for ROK.

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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.60%--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%--
EPS Growth (YoY)14.36%63.49%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.05%1.62%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.91 and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 2.11 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity 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

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

2.11

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
ROK
2.11
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 0.78 and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 1.00 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
ROK
1.00
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.912.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.781.00
Net Debt / EBITDA1.001.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) 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%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
ROK
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 30.30% and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 51.03% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

51.03%

Max
67.39%
ROK
51.03%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.16%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)30.30%51.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 26.40 and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 29.97 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

29.97

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
ROK
29.97
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 4.65 sits in the pricier quartile — ROK 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

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

4.65

Max
7.54
ROK
4.65
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 9.59 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 11.76 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

11.76

ROK
11.76
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
MetricLECOROK
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.4029.97
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.214.65
P/B Ratio (MRQ)9.5911.76
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.68%-1.13%