Powell Industries (POWL) Competitors

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) and Powell Industries (NASDAQ:POWL) are both electrical components & equipment companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership and risk.

Does the media refer more to AYI or POWL?

In the previous week, Powell Industries had 1 more articles in the media than Acuity. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for Powell Industries and 11 mentions for Acuity. Powell Industries' average media sentiment score of 1.20 beat Acuity's score of 1.16 indicating that Powell Industries is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Acuity	9 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Powell Industries	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in AYI or POWL?

98.2% of Acuity shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.8% of Powell Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.8% of Acuity shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Powell Industries shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has better earnings and valuation, AYI or POWL?

Acuity has higher revenue and earnings than Powell Industries. Powell Industries is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Acuity, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Acuity	$4.35B	2.58	$396.60M	$12.53	29.21
Powell Industries	$1.08B	3.68	$149.85M	$14.40	22.90

Which has more risk and volatility, AYI or POWL?

Acuity has a beta of 1.64, suggesting that its stock price is 64% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Powell Industries has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer AYI or POWL?

Acuity currently has a consensus price target of $395.17, suggesting a potential upside of 7.95%. Powell Industries has a consensus price target of $312.00, suggesting a potential downside of 5.39%. Given Acuity's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Acuity is more favorable than Powell Industries.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Acuity	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.90
Powell Industries	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.33

Is AYI or POWL more profitable?

Powell Industries has a net margin of 16.22% compared to Acuity's net margin of 9.13%. Powell Industries' return on equity of 33.16% beat Acuity's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Acuity	9.13%	20.81%	12.00%
Powell Industries	16.22%	33.16%	18.23%

Is AYI or POWL a better dividend stock?

Acuity pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Powell Industries pays an annual dividend of $1.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Acuity pays out 5.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Powell Industries pays out 7.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Acuity has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Powell Industries has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Summary

Acuity and Powell Industries tied by winning 9 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.