AYI vs WMS vs JHX Stock Comparison

Acuity Inc. (De), Advanced Drainage Systems 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
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Acuity Inc. (De) leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Acuity Inc. (De) 6, James Hardie Industries 3, Advanced Drainage Systems 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAYIWMSJHXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $9.69B $10.06B $15.08B JHX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.2x 22.3x 103.5x AYI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.9x 20.4x 18.4x AYI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.8% +10.4% +42.9% JHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 14.0% 2.7% WMS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.4% 14.7% 2.6% AYI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 1.6x 3.5x AYI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% WMS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -13.9% -8.2% +18.9% JHX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.3%/yr +3.9%/yr -7.9%/yr AYI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.9% 36.2% 45.1% WMS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 80/100 63/100 32/100 AYI

Percentile Scorecard

AYIWMSJHX

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

AxisAYIWMSJHX
Valuation 74 #15 of 55 48 #29 of 55 20 #44 of 55
Growth 84 #9 of 51 48 #27 of 51 50 #26 of 51
Profitability 74 #14 of 51 82 #10 of 51 38 #32 of 51
Financial Health 86 #9 of 59 48 #31 of 59 31 #41 of 59
Shareholder Returns 83 #8 of 41 88 #6 of 41 20 #33 of 41
Overall 80 63 32
  • AYI ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • WMS 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

PeriodAYIWMSJHXSPY
1 month +4.1%+0.4%-2.6% -1.0%
3 months -3.5%-8.1%-1.4% +2.9%
6 months +10.1%-14.2%+19.1% +6.4%
Year to date -11.5%-10.0%+26.1% +11.4%
1 year -13.9%-8.2%+18.9% +13.1%
3 years +96.4%+20.5%+3.4% +79.4%
3 years, per year +25.3%+6.4%+1.1% +21.5%
5 years +55.8%+21.2%-33.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year +9.3%+3.9%-7.9% +10.9%
10 years +32.9%+535.9%+67.3% +255.2%
10 years, per year +2.9%+20.3%+5.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureAYIWMSJHXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.9%36.2%45.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.4%33.2%41.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.391.361.70 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.37-0.230.42 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.7%-50.3%-60.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.4%-25.7%-15.9% -2.5%
52-week high $376.69$175.38$31.09 $779.14
52-week low $257.79$125.22$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.

MultipleAYIWMSJHX
P/E now vs peer median 18.2xmedian 19.9x 22.1xmedian 19.9x 104.2xmedian 19.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 1.5x 2.9xmedian 1.5x 2.8xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 12.6x 12.0xmedian 12.6x 17.0xmedian 12.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 16.1x 16.9xmedian 16.1x 42.6xmedian 16.1x
P/B now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 3.0x 5.1xmedian 3.0x 2.3xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.10median 0.98 -11.80median 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 monthsAYIWMSJHX
Revenue $4.64B $3.22B $5.41B
Gross profit $2.35B $1.24B $1.94B
Operating income $713.70M $668.00M $526.70M
Net income $531.30M $455.60M $145.70M
Free cash flow $747.90M $550.15M $356.40M
R&D – – $64.00M
EPS (diluted) $17.06 $5.86 $0.25
Cash & equivalents $636.30M $162.25M $289.90M
Total debt $697.40M $5.41B $4.28B
Shares (diluted) 31.15M 77.02M 584.30M
Enterprise value $7.99B $7.85B $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
MetricAYIWMSJHX
P/E 18.2x 22.1x 104.2x
P/FCF 12.7x 16.9x 42.6x
P/Operating cash flow 11.5x 11.6x 20.9x
P/S 2.0x 2.9x 2.8x
P/B 3.2x 5.1x 2.3x
P/Tangible book 4.8x 9.4x 4.6x
EV/EBITDA 10.9x 12.0x 17.0x
EV/EBIT 13.3x 16.1x 36.4x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 3.3x 3.5x
EV/FCF 12.7x 19.5x 53.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.5x 13.4x 26.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.10 -11.80 -2.62

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAYIWMSJHX
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.8% 10.4% 42.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 3.2% 13.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.1% 14.0% 34.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 4.3% 13.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 26.6% 4.9% -5.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.7% -2.2% -11.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 34.0% 4.9% -56.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% -2.8% -34.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.1% 5.7% -67.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% -1.9% -39.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 37.3% 19.5% -11.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 4.6% 1.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 40.3% 18.3% 110.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.5% 1.3% 75.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAYIWMSJHX
Gross margin 50.6% 38.6% 35.9%
EBITDA margin 18.7% 27.9% 20.9%
Operating margin 15.4% 20.7% 9.7%
Pretax margin 14.7% 18.6% 5.1%
Net margin 11.4% 14.0% 2.7%
FCF margin 16.1% 17.1% 6.6%
Operating cash flow margin 17.8% 25.0% 13.4%
Return on equity 18.2% 24.6% 2.2%
Return on assets 11.2% 10.1% 1.0%
Return on invested capital 15.4% 14.7% 2.6%
Return on capital employed 19.5% 17.0% 4.2%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.7x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.8x 5.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 1.2% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAYIWMSJHX
Debt / assets 14.3% 35.8% 31.7%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.9x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.1x 1.6x 3.5x
Debt / FCF 0.9x 2.9x 12.0x
Liabilities / assets 39.0% 59.7% 51.5%
Equity / assets 61.0% 40.3% 48.5%
Interest coverage – – 1.8x
Current ratio 1.7x 2.1x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.2x 1.1x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 5.99 4.08 2.10

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAYIWMSJHX
Dividend yield 0.3% 0.6% –
Net buyback yield 3.0% 3.4% 2.0%
Shareholder yield 3.2% 4.0% 2.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 4.5% 12.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 3.2% 10.4% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.5% 12.0% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 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.

ConsensusAYIWMSJHX
Forward P/E 15.9xFY2027 20.4xFY2026 18.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.03FY2027 $6.40FY2026 $1.42FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.7%FY2027 +2.1%FY2026 +30.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.6% +22.7% +12.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.67BFY2027 $3.62BFY2026 $5.17BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.7%FY2027 +18.7%FY2026 +6.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.2% +5.8% +15.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAYIWMSJHX
Held by institutions 99.2% 90.9% 49.9%
Institutions holding 631 553 339
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% +0.3% +7.1%
Institutions buying 330 259 189
Institutions selling 190 209 100
Buyers to sellers 1.74 1.24 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.

AYIWMSJHX
AYI 1.00 0.45 0.37
WMS 0.45 1.00 0.55
JHX 0.37 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AYI, WMS and JHX?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) $9.69B, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) $10.06B, James Hardie Industries (JHX) $15.08B.

Which stock is cheaper, AYI, WMS and JHX?

Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 18.2x, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 22.3x, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 103.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) is cheapest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.9x, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 20.4x, 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%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) +10.4%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) +42.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) has the highest net margin (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 11.4%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 14.0%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.7%). On return on invested capital, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) leads (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.4%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 14.7%, 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%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) -8.2%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) +18.9%. Over five years, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) compounded fastest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +9.3%/yr, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) +3.9%/yr, James Hardie Industries (JHX) -7.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) has the highest dividend yield: Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 0.00%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 0.01%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 0.00%. James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) has been the steadiest (Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 37.9%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 36.2%, James Hardie Industries (JHX) 45.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AYI, WMS 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 6. 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.