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ROK vs. XYL: Rockwell Automation vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

How do Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL) 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

Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but ROK is classified in Electrical Equipment while XYL is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemROKXYL
NameRockwell Automation Inc.Xylem Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization41.82 billion USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 31, 1981October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ROK
XYL
GSPC
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
Total Return (1Y)6.19%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)16.94%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)4.86%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)34.28%30.74%
Beta (5Y)1.540.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-45.09%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)799.28K2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ROK and XYL 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 Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.06-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.07-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 38.73% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ROK.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 15.68% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Xylem (XYL) at 11.94%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 14.75% and Xylem (XYL) at 15.95% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
ROE (TTM)38.73%9.76%
ROA (TTM)9.32%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)15.68%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.75%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)48.95%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Xylem (XYL) reports revenue growth of 5.52%, ranked against its industry; Rockwell Automation (ROK) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for ROK.

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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)--5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)--17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)63.49%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)1.62%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 2.11 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for XYL.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 1.00 and Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.111.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.000.29
Net Debt / EBITDA1.581.18

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 Xylem (XYL) reports a yield of 1.69%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 51.03% and Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)51.03%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 29.97 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 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.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 11.76 prices above its benchmark range — ROK looks rich relative to book.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Rockwell Automation (ROK) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rockwell Automation (ROK) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricROKXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)29.9721.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.652.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)11.762.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-1.13%5.39%