Lincoln Electric vs Snap-on
Snap-on reported revenue of $5.2 billion in fiscal 2025, 1.2 times Lincoln Electric's $4.2 billion in fiscal 2025. Lincoln Electric's revenue grew 5.6% in its latest year, and Snap-on's grew 0.9%. Lincoln Electric had an operating margin of 17.0%, against 25.8% at Snap-on. Free cash flow was $534 million at Lincoln Electric and $1.0 billion at Snap-on. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and January 3), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Lincoln Electric | Snap-on | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2025, Jan 3, 2026 |
| Revenue | $4.2B | $5.2B |
| Revenue growth | 5.6% | 0.9% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 9.8% | 5.5% |
| Gross margin | 36.2% | — |
| Operating margin | 17.0% | 25.8% |
| Net margin | 12.3% | 19.7% |
| Free cash flow | $534M | $1.0B |
| Free cash flow margin | 12.6% | 19.5% |
| Return on capital | 24.5% | 19.2% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.0x | −0.3x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $506M | $791M |
| Change in diluted share count | −2.3% | −0.9% |
| Last close | $258.65 | $357.88 |
| P/E at the last close | 25.8× | 18.6× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | sold $8.3 million | sold $61.5 million |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 of 9 | 6 of 8 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Lincoln ElectricSnap-on
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Lincoln ElectricSnap-on
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Lincoln ElectricSnap-on
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Lincoln Electric and Snap-on pages.