Lincoln Electric vs Pentair
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Lincoln Electric and Pentair side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Lincoln Electric is the larger business, with $4.2B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $4.2B for Pentair.
- Lincoln Electric grew revenue faster (5.6%, against 2.3%).
- Pentair kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (20.5% operating margin, against 17.0%).
- Pentair turned more of its sales into free cash flow (17.9% FCF margin, against 12.6%).
- Lincoln Electric earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (24.5%, against 14.0%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Lincoln Electric’s earnings: a P/E of 25.8x against 13.5x for Pentair.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 11 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Lincoln Electric
LECO
6/11
Revenue growth5-year growthReturn on capitalReturn on equityNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Pentair
PNR
5/11
Gross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginPiotroski F-score
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | LECO FY25 | PNR FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $14.3B | $9.0B |
| Revenue | $4.2B | $4.2B |
| Free cash flow | $534M | $746M |
| Net income | $521M | $654M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 5.6% | 2.3% |
| 5-year growth | 9.8% | 6.7% |
| Share count change | −2.3% | −1.0% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 36.3% | 40.5% |
| Operating margin | 17.0% | 20.5% |
| Net margin | 12.3% | 15.7% |
| FCF margin | 12.6% | 17.9% |
| Return on capital | 24.5% | 14.0% |
| Return on equity | 37.2% | 17.6% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $841M | $1.5B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.0x | 1.6x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $507M | $389M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 25.8x | 13.5x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 9 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.