AYI vs JHX Stock Comparison

Acuity Inc. (De) and James Hardie Industries Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AYI Acuity Inc. (De)
$318.76 +4.1% 1M -13.9% 1Y
Market cap
$9.69B
P/E
18.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.64B
Div. yield
0.00%
Building Products Industrials
8 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Acuity Inc. (De) leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Acuity Inc. (De) 8, James Hardie Industries 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAYIJHXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $9.69B $15.08B JHX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.2x 103.5x AYI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.9x 18.4x AYI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.8% +42.9% JHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 2.7% AYI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.4% 2.6% AYI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 3.5x AYI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -13.9% +18.9% JHX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.3%/yr -7.9%/yr AYI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.9% 45.1% AYI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 80/100 32/100 AYI

Percentile Scorecard

AYIJHX

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

AxisAYIJHX
Valuation 74 #15 of 55 20 #44 of 55
Growth 84 #9 of 51 50 #26 of 51
Profitability 74 #14 of 51 38 #32 of 51
Financial Health 86 #9 of 59 31 #41 of 59
Shareholder Returns 83 #8 of 41 20 #33 of 41
Overall 80 32
  • AYI ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • JHX ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAYIJHXSPY
1 month +4.1%-2.6% -1.0%
3 months -3.5%-1.4% +2.9%
6 months +10.1%+19.1% +6.4%
Year to date -11.5%+26.1% +11.4%
1 year -13.9%+18.9% +13.1%
3 years +96.4%+3.4% +79.4%
3 years, per year +25.3%+1.1% +21.5%
5 years +55.8%-33.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year +9.3%-7.9% +10.9%
10 years +32.9%+67.3% +255.2%
10 years, per year +2.9%+5.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureAYIJHXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.9%45.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.4%41.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.391.70 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.370.42 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.7%-60.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.4%-15.9% -2.5%
52-week high $376.69$31.09 $779.14
52-week low $257.79$16.69 $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.

MultipleAYIJHX
P/E now vs peer median 18.2xmedian 19.9x 104.2xmedian 19.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 1.5x 2.8xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 12.6x 17.0xmedian 12.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 16.1x 42.6xmedian 16.1x
P/B now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 3.0x 2.3xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.10median 0.98 -2.62median 0.98

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 monthsAYIJHX
Revenue $4.64B $5.41B
Gross profit $2.35B $1.94B
Operating income $713.70M $526.70M
Net income $531.30M $145.70M
Free cash flow $747.90M $356.40M
R&D – $64.00M
EPS (diluted) $17.06 $0.25
Cash & equivalents $636.30M $289.90M
Total debt $697.40M $4.28B
Shares (diluted) 31.15M 584.30M
Enterprise value $7.99B $14.15B

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
MetricAYIJHX
P/E 18.2x 104.2x
P/FCF 12.7x 42.6x
P/Operating cash flow 11.5x 20.9x
P/S 2.0x 2.8x
P/B 3.2x 2.3x
P/Tangible book 4.8x 4.6x
EV/EBITDA 10.9x 17.0x
EV/EBIT 13.3x 36.4x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 3.5x
EV/FCF 12.7x 53.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.5x 26.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.10 -2.62

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAYIJHX
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.8% 42.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 13.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.1% 34.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 13.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 26.6% -5.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.7% -11.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 34.0% -56.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% -34.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.1% -67.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% -39.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 37.3% -11.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 1.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 40.3% 110.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.5% 75.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAYIJHX
Gross margin 50.6% 35.9%
EBITDA margin 18.7% 20.9%
Operating margin 15.4% 9.7%
Pretax margin 14.7% 5.1%
Net margin 11.4% 2.7%
FCF margin 16.1% 6.6%
Operating cash flow margin 17.8% 13.4%
Return on equity 18.2% 2.2%
Return on assets 11.2% 1.0%
Return on invested capital 15.4% 2.6%
Return on capital employed 19.5% 4.2%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 5.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAYIJHX
Debt / assets 14.3% 31.7%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 3.5x
Debt / FCF 0.9x 12.0x
Liabilities / assets 39.0% 51.5%
Equity / assets 61.0% 48.5%
Interest coverage – 1.8x
Current ratio 1.7x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.2x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 5.99 2.10

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAYIJHX
Dividend yield 0.3% –
Net buyback yield 3.0% 2.0%
Shareholder yield 3.2% 2.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 4.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 3.2% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.5% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 12.3% –

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.

ConsensusAYIJHX
Forward P/E 15.9xFY2027 18.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.03FY2027 $1.42FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.7%FY2027 +30.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.6% +12.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.67BFY2027 $5.17BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.7%FY2027 +6.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.2% +15.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAYIJHX
Held by institutions 99.2% 49.9%
Institutions holding 631 339
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% +7.1%
Institutions buying 330 189
Institutions selling 190 100
Buyers to sellers 1.74 1.89

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.

AYIJHX
AYI 1.00 0.37
JHX 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AYI and JHX?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) $9.69B, James Hardie Industries (JHX) $15.08B.

Which stock is cheaper, AYI and JHX?

Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 18.2x, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 103.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) is cheapest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.9x, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 18.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +6.8%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) +42.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) has the highest net margin (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 11.4%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.7%). On return on invested capital, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) leads (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.4%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year James Hardie Industries (JHX) returned the most: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) -13.9%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) +18.9%. Over five years, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) compounded fastest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +9.3%/yr, James Hardie Industries (JHX) -7.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 0.00%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 0.00%. James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) has been the steadiest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 37.9%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 45.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do AYI and JHX move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.37, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, AYI and JHX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) leads on 8. 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.