POWL vs VRT: Powell Industries 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 13.1 times Powell Industries.
- Vertiv Holdings grew revenue faster over the last year (+24.1% vs +8.9%).
- Powell Industries keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (19.7% vs 18.9%).
- On earnings, Powell Industries is the cheaper stock (36.8x vs 54.1x).
- Vertiv Holdings's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 15% a year, against 14% for Powell Industries (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 | POWL | VRT |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $6.3B | $82.6B |
| Share price | $191.93 | $246.49 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $1.1B | $10.2B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $155M | $1.9B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +8.9% | +24.1% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +23.8% | +19.6% |
| Operating margin | 19.7% | 18.9% |
| Net margin | 16.5% | 15.1% |
| Return on equity | 25.2% | 36.4% |
| P/E (trailing) | 36.8x | 54.1x |
| Price / free cash flow | 40.7x | 43.6x |
| EV / EBITDA | 21.3x | 32.6x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 14.3% | 15.2% |
| Dividend yield | 0.22% | 0.06% |
| Debt / equity | 0.86x | 2.34x |
| Fundamental grade | C | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 0 | 8 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 0 | 10 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
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% |
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
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%
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 POWL in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Powell Industries or Vertiv Holdings?
Vertiv Holdings (VRT), at $82.6B against $6.3B.
Is POWL or VRT cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Powell Industries (36.8x) is cheaper than Vertiv Holdings (54.1x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, POWL or VRT?
Vertiv Holdings: revenue grew +24.1% over the last year, against +8.9%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.