AYI vs POWL: Acuity Brands and Powell Industries compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Acuity Brands is the larger company, worth $9.0B, about 1.4 times Powell Industries.
- Powell Industries grew revenue faster over the last year (+8.9% vs +1.6%).
- Powell Industries keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (19.7% vs 14.5%).
- On earnings, Acuity Brands is the cheaper stock (21.7x vs 36.8x).
- Powell Industries's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 14% 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 | POWL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $9.0B | $6.3B |
| Share price | $298.34 | $191.93 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $4.3B | $1.1B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $533M | $155M |
| Revenue growth, last year | +1.6% | +8.9% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +5.9% | +23.8% |
| Operating margin | 14.5% | 19.7% |
| Net margin | 10.2% | 16.5% |
| Return on equity | 16.6% | 25.2% |
| P/E (trailing) | 21.7x | 36.8x |
| Price / free cash flow | 16.8x | 40.7x |
| EV / EBITDA | 12.3x | 21.3x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 2.7% | 14.3% |
| Dividend yield | 0.24% | 0.22% |
| Debt / equity | 0.63x | 0.86x |
| Fundamental grade | B | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 4 | 0 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 1 | 0 |
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% |
Powell Industries
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $471M | -$33M | 0.22% |
| 2022 | $533M | -$6M | 1.4% |
| 2023 | $699M | $175M | 8.9% |
| 2024 | $1.0B | $97M | 17.7% |
| 2025 | $1.1B | $155M | 19.7% |
Where the revenue comes from
Acuity Brands · by segments, 2025
ABL$3.6B83%
AIS$764M17%
Powell Industries · by products, 2025
Oil and gas (excludes petrochemical)$407M37%
Electric utility$279M25%
Commercial and other industrial$178M16%
Petrochemical$151M14%
All others$48M4%
Light rail traction power$41M4%
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 Powell Industries?
Acuity Brands (AYI), at $9.0B against $6.3B.
Is AYI or POWL cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Acuity Brands (21.7x) is cheaper than Powell Industries (36.8x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, AYI or POWL?
Powell Industries: revenue grew +8.9% 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.