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LECO vs. VRT: Lincoln Electric vs. Vertiv Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
Profile ItemLECOVRT
NameLincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.Vertiv Holdings Co Class A Common Stock
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 USD70.41 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateApril 7, 1994August 2, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LECO
VRT
GSPC
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT), 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 Vertiv (VRT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
Total Return (1Y)27.30%11.12%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.31%71.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.33%49.38%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Vertiv (VRT) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.15, 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.

Risk profile metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.13%71.11%
Beta (5Y)1.172.15
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.29%-69.52%
Avg. Volume (3M)409.99K5.90M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LECO and VRT 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.740.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.110.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Vertiv (VRT) at 46.57% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 38.75% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

46.57%

VRT
46.57%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 16.00% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

16.00%

Max
27.47%
VRT
16.00%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 23.77% 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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

23.77%

Max
36.60%
VRT
23.77%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
ROE (TTM)38.75%46.57%
ROA (TTM)13.32%11.94%
Net Margin (TTM)12.40%16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.29%23.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.54%38.12%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Vertiv (VRT) at 27.69% 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 VRT.

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

EPS Growth

Vertiv (VRT) at 166.41% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 14.36%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.60%27.69%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%21.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)14.36%166.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.05%340.11%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.91 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vertiv (VRT) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VRT.

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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
VRT
1.39
Min
0.36
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 0.78 and Vertiv (VRT) at 0.61 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

0.61

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
VRT
0.61
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.911.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.780.61
Net Debt / EBITDA1.00-0.11

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.16% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Vertiv (VRT) at 0.11% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, LECO the richer one.

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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

0.11%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
VRT
0.11%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vertiv (VRT) at 4.67% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 30.30% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

4.67%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
VRT
4.67%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.16%0.11%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)30.30%4.67%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 26.40 and Vertiv (VRT) at 34.18 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

34.18

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
VRT
34.18
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 5.37 sits in the pricier quartile — VRT 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

5.37

Max
7.54
VRT
5.37
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): 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 Vertiv (VRT) at 12.80 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

VRT

Capital Goods industry group

12.80

VRT
12.80
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. Vertiv (VRT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and Vertiv (VRT)
MetricLECOVRT
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.4034.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.215.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)9.5912.80
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.68%4.21%