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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Specialty Industrial Machinery

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

Illinois Tool Works holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and growth adding further support. Dover still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward Dover, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Illinois Tool Works, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The result is anchored in profitability, but stability also reinforces the same direction. Illinois Tool Works Inc. leads by 15 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Specialty Industrial Machinery

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. DOV and ITW share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Dover and Illinois Tool Works each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
DOV
Dover Corporation
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
ITW
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
66
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: DOV vs ITW Profitability 40 85 Stability 48 64 Valuation 62 69 Growth 56 37 DOV ITW
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +45
#2 Growth +19
#3 Stability +16
#4 Valuation +7
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for DOV and ITW Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer DOVITW Relative valuation Structural strength

Illinois Tool Works Inc. still looks stronger, and the price setup does not materially undermine that lead.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY DOV Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 20 pct gap ITW Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 97th 77th
Today ITW sits in the upper portion of its own 5-year history (77th percentile), while DOV sits higher in its own history (97th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, ITW is at a historically more favourable entry position than DOV. 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.
Growth
On growth, Dover Corporation is positioned higher in the group, while Illinois Tool Works Inc. is closer to the middle.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
DOV
40
ITW
85
Gap+45in favour of ITW

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 9.3-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

The market setup is mixed for both, so the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

What this means for the comparison

The profitability edge is decisive, but growth still pushes back — the result holds, but not without a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how DOV 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.