GGG vs IEX: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. GGG and IEX share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined GGG and IEX exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Graco Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets specialized equipment used to pump, meter, mix, dispense, and spray fluids and powders. The business runs across three segments: Contractor (paint sprayers, foam and roofing systems, sold heavily through home-center and paint-store channels), Industrial (liquid and powder finishing, lubrication, and process pumps for factories), and Expansion Markets (semiconductor pumps, high-pressure oil and gas valves, and environmental equipment). Its products are often low-cost but mission-critical parts of a customer's larger process, which gives Graco strong pricing power, high gross margins in the low-50s percent range, and a long record of returning cash through dividends and buybacks.

Full GGG guide

IDEX Corporation is an applied solutions company that designs and manufactures highly engineered pumps, flow meters, valves, fluidic systems, and other components used to move and measure fluids. It operates across three reporting segments: Health & Science Technologies (precision fluidics, optics, and sealing for life science, analytical instruments, and semiconductors), Fluid & Metering Technologies (industrial pumps, metering, and water and wastewater equipment), and Fire & Safety/Diversified Products (rescue tools, fire suppression components, and dispensing equipment). Its products are typically small pieces of larger customer systems where reliability matters more than price, which supports pricing power and recurring aftermarket demand.

Full IEX guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• GGG drivers: Pricing power and niche moats; Acquisition-led growth.
• IEX drivers: Health & Science Technologies momentum; Disciplined bolt-on acquisitions.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Organic sales have been declining, so reported growth leans heavily on acquisitions and currency, which can mask underlying softness. For IEX, iDEX is exposed to broad industrial cyclicality, and softness in chemical and certain short-cycle end markets has periodically offset strength elsewhere.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick GGG if you believe its drivers more; IEX if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the GGG and IEX guides.

GGG. Graco trades around $74 per share with a market cap near $12.3 billion, at roughly 24 times trailing earnings, a premium that reflects its quality and consistency. Q1 2026 revenue of about $540 million grew 2.3 percent, but that was entirely acquisitions and currency offsetting a roughly 6 percent organic decline, and it missed analyst estimates. Gross margin slipped about 60 basis points on higher product costs, lower factory volume, and tariffs.

IEX. As of July 2026 IEX traded around $224 with a market cap near $16.5 billion and a trailing P/E in the low 30s, a premium typical of high-quality, acquisitive industrials. The valuation reflects consistent margins, record orders, and raised guidance, but it also leaves limited cushion if end markets weaken. The dividend yield sits near 1.3%, with the company having raised its payout for more than 15 consecutive years.

Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): GGG shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.2B, q1 2026 revenue ~$540M (+2.3% YoY), q1 2026 diluted eps ~$0.70, market cap ~$12.3B; IEX shows revenue (ttm) ~$3.4B, q1 2026 net sales ~$887M (+9% YoY), q1 2026 orders ~$988M (record, +13%), adjusted ebitda margin ~26%.

GGG and IEX are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined GGG and IEX exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.