Acuity (AYI) Competitors

Donaldson (NYSE:DCI) and Acuity (NYSE:AYI) are related mid-cap companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, risk, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership and dividends.

Is DCI or AYI a better dividend stock?

Donaldson pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. Acuity pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Donaldson pays out 40.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Acuity pays out 5.4% 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. Donaldson has increased its dividend for 38 consecutive years and Acuity has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Donaldson is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, DCI or AYI?

Acuity has higher revenue and earnings than Donaldson. Acuity is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Donaldson, 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
Donaldson	$3.59B	2.29	$414M	$2.98	23.64
Acuity	$3.84B	2.33	$422.60M	$12.69	23.05

Which has more risk and volatility, DCI or AYI?

Donaldson has a beta of 0.98, indicating that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acuity has a beta of 1.62, indicating that its share price is 62% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate DCI or AYI?

Donaldson currently has a consensus price target of $70.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.62%. Acuity has a consensus price target of $340.60, indicating a potential upside of 16.44%. Given Acuity's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Acuity is more favorable than Donaldson.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Donaldson	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Acuity	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Does the media refer more to DCI or AYI?

In the previous week, Donaldson and Donaldson both had 9 articles in the media. Acuity's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat Donaldson's score of 0.58 indicating that Acuity is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Donaldson	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Acuity	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is DCI or AYI more profitable?

Donaldson has a net margin of 9.94% compared to Acuity's net margin of 9.63%. Donaldson's return on equity of 28.86% beat Acuity's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Donaldson	9.94%	28.86%	14.63%
Acuity	9.63%	20.35%	11.98%

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of DCI or AYI?

82.8% of Donaldson shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.2% of Acuity shares are held by institutional investors. 2.7% of Donaldson shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Acuity shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Acuity beats Donaldson on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.