AYI vs NVT: Acuity Brands and nVent Electric compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- nVent Electric is the larger company, worth $24.8B, about 2.8 times Acuity Brands.
- nVent Electric grew revenue faster over the last year (+52.8% vs +1.6%).
- nVent Electric keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (17.1% vs 14.5%).
- On earnings, Acuity Brands is the cheaper stock (21.7x vs 52.1x).
- nVent Electric's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 21% a year, against 3% for Acuity Brands (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | AYI | NVT |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $9.0B | $24.8B |
| Share price | $298.34 | $167.43 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $4.3B | $3.9B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $533M | $372M |
| Revenue growth, last year | +1.6% | +52.8% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +5.9% | +12.1% |
| Operating margin | 14.5% | 17.1% |
| Net margin | 10.2% | 12.4% |
| Return on equity | 16.6% | 15.0% |
| P/E (trailing) | 21.7x | 52.1x |
| Price / free cash flow | 16.8x | 66.6x |
| EV / EBITDA | 12.3x | 28.4x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 2.7% | 20.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.24% | 0.52% |
| Debt / equity | 0.63x | 0.79x |
| Fundamental grade | B | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 4 | 6 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 1 | 4 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Acuity Brands
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $3.5B | $365M | 12.4% |
| 2022 | $4.0B | $260M | 12.7% |
| 2023 | $4.0B | $511M | 12.0% |
| 2024 | $3.8B | $555M | 14.4% |
| 2025 | $4.3B | $533M | 13.0% |
nVent Electric
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $2.5B | $334M | 14.4% |
| 2022 | $2.3B | $354M | 13.5% |
| 2023 | $2.7B | $462M | 17.3% |
| 2024 | $3.0B | $569M | 17.5% |
| 2025 | $3.9B | $372M | 15.8% |
Where the revenue comes from
Acuity Brands · by segments, 2025
ABL$3.6B83%
AIS$764M17%
nVent Electric · by segments, 2025
Systems Protection$2.6B67%
Electrical Connections$1.3B33%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open AYI in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Acuity Brands or nVent Electric?
nVent Electric (NVT), at $24.8B against $9.0B.
Is AYI or NVT cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Acuity Brands (21.7x) is cheaper than nVent Electric (52.1x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, AYI or NVT?
nVent Electric: revenue grew +52.8% over the last year, against +1.6%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.