Lincoln Electric vs Valmont Industries
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Lincoln Electric and Valmont Industries 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 $4.1B for Valmont Industries.
- Lincoln Electric grew revenue faster (5.6%, against 0.7%).
- Lincoln Electric kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (17.0% operating margin, against 10.1%).
- Lincoln Electric turned more of its sales into free cash flow (12.6% FCF margin, against 7.6%).
- Lincoln Electric earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (24.5%, against 17.9%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Lincoln Electric’s earnings: a P/E of 25.8x against 16.7x for Valmont Industries.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 11 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Lincoln Electric
LECO
10/11
Revenue growth5-year growthGross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Valmont Industries
VMI
0/11
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | LECO FY25 | VMI FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $14.3B | $8.4B |
| Revenue | $4.2B | $4.1B |
| Free cash flow | $534M | $311M |
| Net income | $521M | $350M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 5.6% | 0.7% |
| 5-year growth | 9.8% | 7.2% |
| Share count change | −2.3% | −1.6% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 36.3% | 30.2% |
| Operating margin | 17.0% | 10.1% |
| Net margin | 12.3% | 8.5% |
| FCF margin | 12.6% | 7.6% |
| Return on capital | 24.5% | 17.9% |
| Return on equity | 37.2% | 22.1% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $841M | $609M |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.0x | 1.2x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $507M | $251M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 25.8x | 16.7x |
| 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.