AYI vs VRT: Acuity Brands and Vertiv Holdings compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Vertiv Holdings is the larger company, worth $82.6B, about 9.2 times Acuity Brands.
- Vertiv Holdings grew revenue faster over the last year (+24.1% vs +1.6%).
- Vertiv Holdings keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (18.9% vs 14.5%).
- On earnings, Acuity Brands is the cheaper stock (21.7x vs 54.1x).
- Vertiv Holdings's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 15% 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 | VRT |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $9.0B | $82.6B |
| Share price | $298.34 | $246.49 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $4.3B | $10.2B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $533M | $1.9B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +1.6% | +24.1% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +5.9% | +19.6% |
| Operating margin | 14.5% | 18.9% |
| Net margin | 10.2% | 15.1% |
| Return on equity | 16.6% | 36.4% |
| P/E (trailing) | 21.7x | 54.1x |
| Price / free cash flow | 16.8x | 43.6x |
| EV / EBITDA | 12.3x | 32.6x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 2.7% | 15.2% |
| Dividend yield | 0.24% | 0.06% |
| Debt / equity | 0.63x | 2.34x |
| Fundamental grade | B | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 4 | 8 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 1 | 10 |
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% |
Vertiv Holdings
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $5.0B | $126M | 5.2% |
| 2022 | $5.7B | -$264M | 3.9% |
| 2023 | $6.9B | $766M | 12.7% |
| 2024 | $8.0B | $1.1B | 17.1% |
| 2025 | $10.2B | $1.9B | 17.9% |
Where the revenue comes from
Acuity Brands · by segments, 2025
ABL$3.6B83%
AIS$764M17%
Vertiv Holdings · by products, 2025
Products$8.2B80%
Services & spares$2.0B20%
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 Vertiv Holdings?
Vertiv Holdings (VRT), at $82.6B against $9.0B.
Is AYI or VRT cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Acuity Brands (21.7x) is cheaper than Vertiv Holdings (54.1x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, AYI or VRT?
Vertiv Holdings: revenue grew +24.1% 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.