Illinois Tool Works Inc. vs Zscaler Inc — how do they compare? Illinois Tool Works Inc. trades at $273.3 (market cap $78.17B), while Zscaler Inc trades at $149 (market cap $24.23B). The key difference: Illinois Tool Works Inc. is far larger — about 3.2× Zscaler Inc's market cap, and Illinois Tool Works Inc. pays a 2.37% dividend while Zscaler Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ITW | ZS | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $78.17B | $24.23B |
Sector | Industrials | Technology |
52-Week High | $299.60 | $336.27 |
52-Week Low | $241.07 | $118.05 |
Enterprise Value | $86.49B | $22.55B |
Dividend Yield | 2.37% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ITW trades at $271.58, down 1.62% today, with a bullish technical signal supported by moving averages. The company maintains strong profitability with a 19.32% net income margin and has beaten EPS estimates for three consecutive quarters. Recent news highlights mixed sentiment, with some analysts citing premium valuation concerns while others note growth prospects from enterprise initiatives and a potential bullish chart pattern.
Outlook remains cautiously optimistic with a consensus price target of $288.25 offering ~6% upside. Key risks include valuation sensitivity, organic sales pressure in some segments, and macroeconomic headwinds. The upcoming Q2 2026 earnings report on July 28, 2026, will be critical for validating growth trajectory amid analyst divergence.
Zscaler (ZS) trades at $150.70, up 0.54% with a bullish technical outlook. The stock shows strong revenue growth from $1.1B in 2022 to $2.67B in 2025, though remains unprofitable with a -2.44% net margin. Recent earnings consistently beat expectations, and analyst consensus is strongly bullish with a $192.46 price target. However, the company faces class action investigations and rising AI infrastructure costs that pressure margins.
ZS presents a growth opportunity in cybersecurity with Zero Trust adoption and AI security traction, but investors must weigh persistent losses against high valuation multiples. The stock's 34% YTD decline creates potential upside if execution improves, though competitive pressures and profitability concerns remain key risks.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Illinois Tool Works is a diversified global manufacturer that produces specialized industrial equipment, consumables, and related services. The firm operates 87 global divisions through seven distinct operating segments: automotive OEM, construction products, food equipment, specialty products, test/measurement and electronics, polymers and fluids, and welding. About half of its revenue comes from its operations in North America, with the remainder originating from international markets. ITW takes a bottom-up and decentralized approach to portfolio management, with the exception that each segment must apply its 80/20 operating process modeled on the Pareto principle.
Read more on ITW →Zscaler is a security-as-a-service firm that offers its customers cloud-delivered solutions for protecting user devices and data. The firm leverages its position in 150 colocation data centers to deliver traditionally appliance-based security functionality, such as firewalls and sandboxes, as a completely cloud-native platform. The firm focuses on large enterprise customers and offers two primary product suites: Zscaler Internet Access, which securely connects users to externally managed application and websites (such as Salesforce and Google), and Zscaler Private Access, which securely connects users to internally managed applications. Both product suites encompass a broad gamut of capabilities situated across the traditional security stack.
Read more on ZS →