AYI vs OTIS vs JHX Stock Comparison

Acuity Inc. (De), Otis Worldwide and James Hardie Industries Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AYI Acuity Inc. (De)
$327.36 +6.1% 1M -9.4% 1Y
Market cap
$9.72B
P/E
18.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.64B
Div. yield
0.24%
Building Products Industrials
5 wins
OTIS Otis Worldwide Corp
$74.64 +13.7% 1M -20.1% 1Y
Market cap
$28.42B
P/E
18.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$15.14B
Div. yield
2.30%
Building Products Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Otis Worldwide leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Otis Worldwide 5, Acuity Inc. (De) 5, James Hardie Industries 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAYIOTISJHXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $9.72B $28.42B $15.62B OTIS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.7x 18.3x 107.2x OTIS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.4x 19.1x 19.1x AYI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.8% +5.8% +42.9% JHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 10.3% 2.7% AYI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.4% 62.2% 2.6% OTIS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 3.0x 3.5x AYI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.24% 2.30% 0.00% OTIS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -9.4% -20.1% +26.0% JHX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.8%/yr -1.5%/yr -7.3%/yr AYI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.1% 22.8% 44.9% OTIS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 81/100 46/100 36/100 AYI

Percentile Scorecard

AYIOTISJHX

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

AxisAYIOTISJHX
Valuation 76 #14 of 55 54 #26 of 55 24 #42 of 55
Growth 84 #9 of 51 52 #25 of 51 50 #26 of 51
Profitability 77 #12 of 49 75 #13 of 49 46 #27 of 49
Financial Health 87 #8 of 55 13 #48 of 55 33 #37 of 55
Shareholder Returns 82 #8 of 40 36 #26 of 40 26 #30 of 40
Overall 81 46 36
  • AYI ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • OTIS 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

PeriodAYIOTISJHXSPY
1 month +6.1%+13.7%+7.3% +0.7%
3 months -3.0%+4.1%+1.7% +3.7%
6 months +13.0%-4.2%+28.3% +7.1%
Year to date -9.1%-14.6%+29.7% +12.8%
1 year -9.4%-20.1%+26.0% +11.9%
3 years +105.6%-2.5%+8.4% +85.2%
3 years, per year +27.2%-0.8%+2.7% +22.8%
5 years +59.4%-7.1%-31.6% +67.6%
5 years, per year +9.8%-1.5%-7.3% +10.9%
10 years +46.7%—+80.4% +262.0%
10 years, per year +3.9%—+6.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAYIOTISJHXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.1%22.8%44.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.7%23.4%41.0% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.390.211.70 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.25-0.880.58 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.7%-39.6%-60.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.1%-20.3%-13.4% -1.2%
52-week high $376.69$93.62$31.09 $779.14
52-week low $257.79$64.07$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.

MultipleAYIOTISJHX
P/E now vs peer median 18.7xmedian 20.3x 18.3xmedian 20.3x 107.2xmedian 20.3x
P/S now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 1.6x 1.9xmedian 1.6x 2.9xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.2xmedian 12.6x 14.4xmedian 12.6x 17.4xmedian 12.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 13.0xmedian 16.9x 17.0xmedian 16.9x 43.8xmedian 16.9x
P/B now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 3.0x -5.2xmedian 3.0x 2.4xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.13median 1.13 2.65median 1.13 -2.70median 1.13

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 monthsAYIOTISJHX
Revenue $4.64B $15.14B $5.41B
Gross profit $2.35B $4.53B $1.94B
Operating income $713.70M $2.32B $526.70M
Net income $531.30M $1.61B $145.70M
Free cash flow $747.90M $1.67B $356.40M
R&D – $158.00M $64.00M
EPS (diluted) $17.06 $4.07 $0.25
Cash & equivalents $636.30M $866.00M $289.90M
Total debt $697.40M $8.28B $4.28B
Shares (diluted) 31.15M 381.90M 584.30M
Enterprise value $8.02B $24.97B $14.69B

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
MetricAYIOTISJHX
P/E 18.7x 18.3x 107.2x
P/FCF 13.0x 17.0x 43.8x
P/Operating cash flow 11.8x 15.5x 21.5x
P/S 2.1x 1.9x 2.9x
P/B 3.3x -5.2x 2.4x
P/Tangible book 4.9x -4.9x 4.8x
EV/EBITDA 11.2x 14.4x 17.4x
EV/EBIT 13.7x 15.4x 37.2x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 2.4x 3.6x
EV/FCF 13.1x 21.4x 55.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.8x 19.5x 27.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.13 2.65 -2.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAYIOTISJHX
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.8% 5.8% 42.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 2.6% 13.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.1% 4.3% 34.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 2.5% 13.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 26.6% 12.0% -5.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.7% 2.5% -11.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 34.0% 13.2% -56.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% 3.1% -34.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.1% 18.8% -67.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 6.9% -39.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 37.3% 24.8% -11.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 7.1% 1.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 40.3% 26.5% 110.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.5% 7.0% 75.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAYIOTISJHX
Gross margin 50.6% 30.0% 35.9%
EBITDA margin 18.7% 16.5% 20.9%
Operating margin 15.4% 15.3% 9.7%
Pretax margin 14.7% 13.9% 5.1%
Net margin 11.4% 10.3% 2.7%
FCF margin 16.1% 11.1% 6.6%
Operating cash flow margin 17.8% 12.1% 13.4%
Return on equity 18.2% – 2.2%
Return on assets 11.2% 14.4% 1.0%
Return on invested capital 15.4% 62.2% 2.6%
Return on capital employed 19.5% 73.0% 4.2%
Asset turnover 1.0x 1.3x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.1x 5.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.5% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAYIOTISJHX
Debt / assets 14.3% 73.2% 31.7%
Debt / equity 0.2x -1.5x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 3.0x 3.5x
Debt / FCF 0.9x 4.9x 12.0x
Liabilities / assets 39.0% 148.0% 51.5%
Equity / assets 61.0% -48.0% 48.5%
Interest coverage – – 1.8x
Current ratio 1.7x 0.9x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.2x 0.7x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 6.07 2.93 2.14

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAYIOTISJHX
Dividend yield 0.2% 2.3% –
Net buyback yield 2.9% 2.8% 1.9%
Shareholder yield 3.1% 5.1% 1.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) 4.5% 41.1% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 3.2% 39.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.5% 3.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 8.4% –

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.

ConsensusAYIOTISJHX
Forward P/E 16.4xFY2027 19.1xFY2026 19.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.01FY2027 $3.91FY2026 $1.41FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.6%FY2027 -3.5%FY2026 +29.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.7% +22.3% +12.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.68BFY2027 $16.18BFY2026 $5.13BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.9%FY2027 +12.1%FY2026 +6.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.4% -3.5% +15.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAYIOTISJHX
Held by institutions 99.2% 93.1% 49.9%
Institutions holding 632 1,220 340
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% +3.6% +7.1%
Institutions buying 330 562 190
Institutions selling 191 450 100
Buyers to sellers 1.73 1.25 1.90

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.

AYIOTISJHX
AYI 1.00 0.18 0.38
OTIS 0.18 1.00 0.31
JHX 0.38 0.31 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AYI, OTIS and JHX?

Otis Worldwide (OTIS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) $9.72B, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) $28.42B, James Hardie Industries (JHX) $15.62B.

Which stock is cheaper, AYI, OTIS and JHX?

Otis Worldwide (OTIS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 18.7x, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) 18.3x, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 107.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) is cheapest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 16.4x, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) 19.1x, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 19.1x). 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%, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) +5.8%, 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%, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) 10.3%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.7%). On return on invested capital, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) leads (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.4%, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) 62.2%, 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) -9.4%, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) -20.1%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) +26.0%. Over five years, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) compounded fastest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +9.8%/yr, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) -1.5%/yr, James Hardie Industries (JHX) -7.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Otis Worldwide (OTIS) has the highest dividend yield: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 0.24%, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) 2.30%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 0.00%. James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) has been the steadiest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 38.1%, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) 22.8%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 44.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AYI, OTIS 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, Otis Worldwide (OTIS) leads on 5. 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.