Generac (GNRC) Competitors

Generac (NYSE:GNRC) and Acuity Brands (NYSE:AYI) are both mid-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, risk and community ranking.

Does the media favor GNRC or AYI?

In the previous week, Generac had 18 more articles in the media than Acuity Brands. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Generac and 12 mentions for Acuity Brands. Acuity Brands' average media sentiment score of 1.75 beat Generac's score of 1.10 indicating that Acuity Brands is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Generac	19 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Acuity Brands	12 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Do analysts rate GNRC or AYI?

Generac presently has a consensus price target of $173.40, suggesting a potential upside of 53.32%. Acuity Brands has a consensus price target of $317.60, suggesting a potential upside of 31.58%. Given Generac's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Generac is more favorable than Acuity Brands.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Generac	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.55
Acuity Brands	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Do institutionals & insiders believe in GNRC or AYI?

84.0% of Generac shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.2% of Acuity Brands shares are held by institutional investors. 2.9% of Generac shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Acuity Brands shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor GNRC or AYI?

Acuity Brands received 210 more outperform votes than Generac when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 67.64% of users gave Acuity Brands an outperform vote while only 57.29% of users gave Generac an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Generac	Outperform Votes 507 57.29%	Underperform Votes 378 42.71%
Acuity Brands	Outperform Votes 717 67.64%	Underperform Votes 343 32.36%

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, GNRC or AYI?

Acuity Brands has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Generac. Acuity Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Generac, 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
Generac	$4.30B	1.57	$316.32M	$5.40	20.94
Acuity Brands	$3.96B	1.88	$422.60M	$13.19	18.30

Which has more volatility & risk, GNRC or AYI?

Generac has a beta of 1.58, indicating that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acuity Brands has a beta of 1.43, indicating that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is GNRC or AYI more profitable?

Acuity Brands has a net margin of 11.11% compared to Generac's net margin of 7.36%. Acuity Brands' return on equity of 19.98% beat Generac's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Generac	7.36%	18.17%	8.54%
Acuity Brands	11.11%	19.98%	12.44%

Summary

Acuity Brands beats Generac on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.