Donaldson vs IDEX
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Donaldson and IDEX side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Donaldson is the larger business, with $3.9B of revenue in fiscal 2026 against $3.5B for IDEX.
- IDEX kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (20.2% operating margin, against 15.4%).
- IDEX turned more of its sales into free cash flow (17.8% FCF margin, against 11.0%).
- Donaldson earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (19.4%, against 10.2%).
Who comes out ahead
Of the 11 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Donaldson
DCI
3/11
Return on capitalReturn on equityShare count change
IDEX
IEX
7/11
Revenue growth5-year growthGross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginNet debt / EBITDA
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | DCI FY26 | IEX FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $10.1B | $17.1B |
| Revenue | $3.9B | $3.5B |
| Free cash flow | $426M | $617M |
| Net income | $454M | $483M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 5.3% | 5.8% |
| 5-year growth | 6.4% | 8.0% |
| Share count change | −2.1% | −0.8% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 34.6% | 44.5% |
| Operating margin | 15.4% | 20.2% |
| Net margin | 11.7% | 14.0% |
| FCF margin | 11.0% | 17.8% |
| Return on capital | 19.4% | 10.2% |
| Return on equity | 28.2% | 12.4% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.1B | $1.2B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.5x | 1.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $252M | $460M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | — | 33.2x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 7 |
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.