AYI vs CSL vs SMID Stock Comparison

Acuity Inc. (De), Carlisle Companies and Smith Midland Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AYI Acuity Inc. (De)
$323.34 +1.2% 1M -12.7% 1Y
Market cap
$9.64B
P/E
18.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.64B
Div. yield
0.00%
Building Products Industrials
3 wins
CSL Carlisle Companies Inc
$349.13 +6.9% 1M +3.1% 1Y
Market cap
$13.92B
P/E
19.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.10B
Div. yield
0.01%
Building Products Industrials
7 wins
SMID Smith Midland Corp
$21.26 -12.4% 1M -45.6% 1Y
Market cap
$113.17M
P/E
14.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$89.50M
Div. yield
–
Building Products Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Carlisle Companies leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Carlisle Companies 7, Acuity Inc. (De) 3, Smith Midland 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAYICSLSMIDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $9.64B $13.92B $113.17M CSL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.1x 19.2x 14.6x SMID
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.2x 16.0x — CSL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.8% +1.9% -1.6% AYI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 14.2% 8.6% CSL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.4% 17.4% 12.8% CSL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 1.8x -0.5x SMID
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% CSL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -12.7% +3.1% -45.6% CSL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.2%/yr +9.2%/yr +2.8%/yr AYI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.0% 36.7% 51.0% CSL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 81/100 58/100 80/100 AYI

Percentile Scorecard

AYICSLSMID

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAYICSLSMID
Valuation 73 #16 of 56 44 #32 of 56 84 #10 of 56
Growth 82 #10 of 52 33 #35 of 52 80 #11 of 52
Profitability 79 #11 of 49 92 #5 of 49 65 #18 of 49
Financial Health 87 #8 of 56 49 #29 of 56 93 #5 of 56
Shareholder Returns 83 #8 of 41 73 #12 of 41 –
Overall 81 58 80
  • AYI ranked among 60 companies in Construction Products
  • CSL ranked among 60 companies in Construction Products
  • SMID ranked among 60 companies in Construction Products

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAYICSLSMIDSPY
1 month +1.2%+6.9%-12.4% -0.2%
3 months -6.1%+0.5%-27.4% +3.9%
6 months +13.4%-2.2%-36.2% +8.2%
Year to date -10.2%+9.2%-41.5% +12.9%
1 year -12.7%+3.1%-45.6% +12.3%
3 years +104.2%+40.3%+9.8% +87.4%
3 years, per year +26.9%+12.0%+3.2% +23.3%
5 years +55.4%+55.2%+14.9% +67.9%
5 years, per year +9.2%+9.2%+2.8% +10.9%
10 years +43.2%+242.0%+482.5% +261.1%
10 years, per year +3.7%+13.1%+19.3% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAYICSLSMIDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.0%36.7%51.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.6%34.8%51.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.401.180.98 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.340.08-0.90 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.7%-38.6%-72.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.2%-16.6%-46.6% -1.2%
52-week high $376.69$418.74$39.82 $779.14
52-week low $257.79$295.41$21.20 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAYICSLSMID
P/E now vs peer median 18.5xmedian 20.1x 19.4xmedian 20.1x 14.6xmedian 20.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 1.5x 2.7xmedian 1.5x 1.3xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.1xmedian 11.8x 13.3xmedian 11.8x 7.4xmedian 11.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.8xmedian 16.2x 16.0xmedian 16.2x 27.1xmedian 16.2x
P/B now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 2.9x 8.6xmedian 2.9x 2.0xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 1.11median 0.99 2.39median 0.99 0.11median 0.99

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAYICSLSMID
Revenue $4.64B $5.10B $89.50M
Gross profit $2.35B $1.80B $21.00M
Operating income $713.70M $1.02B $10.80M
Net income $531.30M $724.50M $7.73M
Free cash flow $747.90M $866.60M $4.17M
R&D – $48.80M –
EPS (diluted) $17.06 $17.89 $1.46
Cash & equivalents $636.30M $665.30M $10.66M
Total debt $697.40M $2.88B $17.45M
Shares (diluted) 31.15M 40.50M 5.31M
Enterprise value $7.94B $10.26B $64.03M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAYICSLSMID
P/E 18.5x 19.4x 14.6x
P/FCF 12.8x 16.0x 27.1x
P/Operating cash flow 11.6x 13.8x 7.8x
P/S 2.1x 2.7x 1.3x
P/B 3.2x 8.6x 2.0x
P/Tangible book 4.9x 54.7x 3.5x
EV/EBITDA 11.1x 13.3x 7.4x
EV/EBIT 13.5x 15.9x 9.8x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 3.2x 1.2x
EV/FCF 12.9x 18.6x 25.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.7x 16.0x 7.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.11 2.39 0.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAYICSLSMID
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.8% 1.9% -1.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 1.7% 18.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.1% -2.7% -18.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 3.6% 35.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 26.6% -4.0% -30.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.7% 1.8% 134.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 34.0% -10.1% -49.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% 0.0% 136.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.1% -3.7% -35.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 8.1% 135.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 37.3% 3.9% 92.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% -4.2% 97.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 40.3% 0.9% 459.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.5% -3.9% 38.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAYICSLSMID
Gross margin 50.6% 35.3% 23.5%
EBITDA margin 18.7% 23.8% 16.1%
Operating margin 15.4% 19.9% 12.1%
Pretax margin 14.7% 18.6% 12.0%
Net margin 11.4% 14.2% 8.6%
FCF margin 16.1% 17.0% 4.7%
Operating cash flow margin 17.8% 19.8% 16.3%
Return on equity 18.2% 44.3% 13.7%
Return on assets 11.2% 11.9% 8.6%
Return on invested capital 15.4% 17.4% 12.8%
Return on capital employed 19.5% 19.4% 13.8%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.4x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.7% 0.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAYICSLSMID
Debt / assets 14.3% 46.3% 4.8%
Debt / equity 0.2x 1.8x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 1.8x -0.5x
Debt / FCF 0.9x 3.3x 1.0x
Liabilities / assets 39.0% 74.1% 34.2%
Equity / assets 61.0% 25.9% 65.8%
Interest coverage – 9.7x 48.9x
Current ratio 1.7x 2.6x 4.1x
Quick ratio 1.2x 1.8x 3.1x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.8x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 6.03 5.15 5.00

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAYICSLSMID
Dividend yield 0.2% 1.3% –
Net buyback yield 2.9% 7.5% –
Shareholder yield 3.2% 8.8% 0.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 4.5% 25.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 3.2% 21.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.5% 2.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 5.7% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAYICSLSMID
Forward P/E 16.2xFY2027 16.0xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $20.01FY2027 $21.76FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY +0.6%FY2027 +12.2%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +21.7% +15.9% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.68BFY2027 $4.97BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +0.9%FY2027 -1.0%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after +14.4% +18.1% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAYICSLSMID
Held by institutions 99.2% 100.0% 57.0%
Institutions holding 631 795 56
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% -1.1% -1.1%
Institutions buying 330 367 23
Institutions selling 190 291 17
Buyers to sellers 1.74 1.26 1.35

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AYICSLSMID
AYI 1.00 0.41 0.17
CSL 0.41 1.00 0.26
SMID 0.17 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AYI, CSL and SMID?

Carlisle Companies (CSL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) $9.64B, Carlisle Companies (CSL) $13.92B, Smith Midland (SMID) $113.17M.

Which stock is cheaper, AYI, CSL and SMID?

Smith Midland (SMID) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 18.1x, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 19.2x, Smith Midland (SMID) 14.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Carlisle Companies (CSL) is cheapest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 16.2x, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 16.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +6.8%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) +1.9%, Smith Midland (SMID) -1.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Carlisle Companies (CSL) has the highest net margin (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 11.4%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 14.2%, Smith Midland (SMID) 8.6%). On return on invested capital, Carlisle Companies (CSL) leads (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.4%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 17.4%, Smith Midland (SMID) 12.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Carlisle Companies (CSL) returned the most: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) -12.7%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) +3.1%, Smith Midland (SMID) -45.6%. Over five years, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) compounded fastest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +9.2%/yr, Carlisle Companies (CSL) +9.2%/yr, Smith Midland (SMID) +2.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Carlisle Companies (CSL) has the highest dividend yield: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 0.00%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 0.01%, Smith Midland (SMID) 0.00%. Smith Midland (SMID) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Carlisle Companies (CSL) has been the steadiest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 38.0%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 36.7%, Smith Midland (SMID) 51.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AYI, CSL and SMID?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Carlisle Companies (CSL) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.