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Carlisle Companies vs Illinois Tool Works: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Illinois Tool Works leads structurally, with profitability as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Most of the separation is still concentrated in profitability. Illinois Tool Works Inc. leads by 10 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.76
Similar
Peer-set rank: #12
within Carlisle Companies Incorporated's functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The strongest overlap appears in investment intensity and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
investment intensitymargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CSL
Carlisle Companies Incorporated
57
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
ITW
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: CSL vs ITW Profitability 47 85 Stability 63 63 Valuation 81 73 Growth 30 37 CSL ITW
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +38
#2 Valuation +8
#3 Growth +7
#4 Stability
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CSL and ITW Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CSLITW Relative valuation Structural strength

The price setup looks more supportive for Illinois Tool Works Inc., but Carlisle Companies Incorporated still has the stronger structure.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CSL and ITW each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CSL Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 16 pct gap ITW Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 61st 77th
Today CSL sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (61st percentile), while ITW sits higher in its own history (77th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, CSL is at a historically more favourable entry position than ITW. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both rank well on profitability, but Illinois Tool Works Inc. still holds a clear edge.
Valuation
On valuation, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Carlisle Companies Incorporated still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CSL
47
ITW
85
Gap+38in favour of ITW

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 8.3-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Carlisle Companies, with a forward P/E that is 6.2 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability clearly separates the pair, while the broader read stays strong rather than one-way.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CSL vs ITW comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how CSL and ITW each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.