AZZ vs LUD vs PNR Stock Comparison

Azz, Luda Technology and Pentair Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AZZ Azz Inc
$136.89 +1.1% 1M +35.0% 1Y
Market cap
$4.10B
P/E
24.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.75B
Div. yield
0.64%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
5 wins
PNR PENTAIR plc
$64.38 +21.4% 1M -40.9% 1Y
Market cap
$10.28B
P/E
16.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.97B
Div. yield
1.68%
Pumps and Valves Industrials
7 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Pentair leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Pentair 7, Azz 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZZLUDPNRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.10B $86.68M $10.28B PNR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.5x 152.6x 16.8x PNR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.6x — 14.1x PNR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.5% — -3.9% AZZ
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.6% — 15.4% PNR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.4% — 12.5% PNR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.2x — 1.6x AZZ
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.64% — 1.68% PNR
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +35.0% -57.6% -40.9% AZZ
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +20.9%/yr — -2.7%/yr AZZ
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.0% 144.1% 36.3% AZZ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 — 62/100 PNR

Percentile Scorecard

AZZLUDPNR

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

AxisAZZLUDPNR
Valuation 75 #52 of 203 20 #163 of 203 72 #58 of 203
Growth 65 #67 of 188 – 31 #131 of 188
Profitability 72 #52 of 184 – 83 #32 of 184
Financial Health 57 #93 of 217 40 #131 of 217 46 #117 of 217
Shareholder Returns 26 #114 of 153 – 78 #35 of 153
Overall 59 – 62
  • AZZ ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • LUD ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • PNR ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAZZLUDPNRSPY
1 month +1.1%-4.5%+21.4% +0.9%
3 months -3.0%-7.5%-3.3% +5.9%
6 months -0.8%-39.0%-20.4% +8.5%
Year to date +27.7%-40.5%-38.2% +13.3%
1 year +35.0%-57.6%-40.9% +12.4%
3 years +194.6%—+11.6% +88.1%
3 years, per year +43.4%—+3.7% +23.5%
5 years +157.7%—-13.0% +68.2%
5 years, per year +20.9%—-2.7% +11.0%
10 years +156.8%—+16.7% +263.4%
10 years, per year +9.9%—+1.6% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAZZLUDPNRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.0%144.1%36.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.1%141.6%40.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.181.220.95 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.09-0.40-1.13 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -46.8%-83.8%-53.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.5%-67.8%-40.9% -0.9%
52-week high $160.17$11.85$108.87 $779.14
52-week low $97.64$3.20$52.11 $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.

MultipleAZZLUDPNR
P/E now vs peer median 24.5xmedian 25.4x 152.6xmedian 25.4x 16.8xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.9x 2.6xmedian 1.9x 2.6xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 14.3x —median 14.3x 13.0xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.1xmedian 21.8x -40.0xmedian 21.8x 15.9xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 2.2x 3.9xmedian 2.2x 2.7xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.28median 1.41 —median 1.41 2.19median 1.41

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 monthsAZZLUDPNR
Revenue $1.75B – $3.97B
Gross profit $423.83M – $1.64B
Operating income $287.42M – $777.40M
Net income $167.46M – $612.20M
Free cash flow $214.45M – $646.60M
R&D – – $94.10M
EPS (diluted) $5.56 – $3.82
Cash & equivalents $1.95M $4.77M $74.00M
Total debt $468.47M $49.69M $1.48B
Shares (diluted) 30.12M 22.24M 160.30M
Enterprise value $4.09B $41.03M $9.94B

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
MetricAZZLUDPNR
P/E 24.5x 152.6x 16.8x
P/FCF 19.1x -40.0x 15.9x
P/Operating cash flow 14.0x – 14.2x
P/S 2.3x 2.6x 2.6x
P/B 2.9x 3.9x 2.7x
P/Tangible book 4.1x 4.0x 3.6x
EV/EBITDA 12.0x – 13.0x
EV/EBIT 15.9x – 15.0x
EV/Revenue 2.6x – 2.9x
EV/FCF 21.3x – 18.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.6x – 16.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.28 – 2.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZZLUDPNR
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.5% – -3.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% – -1.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.0% – -1.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.9% – 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 21.3% – -8.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.4% – 4.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -46.7% – -6.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 99.0% – 6.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -46.5% – -3.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 87.1% – 7.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -42.0% – -14.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 20.3% – 6.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -47.3% – -17.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 35.3% – 7.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZZLUDPNR
Gross margin 24.3% – 41.2%
EBITDA margin 21.8% – 22.7%
Operating margin 16.5% – 19.6%
Pretax margin 12.9% – 17.5%
Net margin 9.6% – 15.4%
FCF margin 12.3% – 16.3%
Operating cash flow margin 16.7% – 18.3%
Return on equity 12.0% – 16.1%
Return on assets 7.3% – 9.2%
Return on invested capital 11.4% – 12.5%
Return on capital employed 14.1% – 13.5%
Asset turnover 0.8x – 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x – 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% – 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZZLUDPNR
Debt / assets 20.0% 25.8% 22.3%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.6x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.2x – 1.6x
Debt / FCF 2.2x – 2.3x
Liabilities / assets 39.5% 54.8% 42.1%
Equity / assets 60.5% 45.2% 57.9%
Interest coverage 6.3x – –
Current ratio 1.8x 1.6x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 4.51 – 3.92

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZZLUDPNR
Dividend yield 0.6% – 1.7%
Net buyback yield – – 3.9%
Shareholder yield 0.6% – 5.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 28.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 26.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 6.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 6.2%

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.

ConsensusAZZLUDPNR
Forward P/E 18.6xFY2026 – 14.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.37FY2026 – $4.55FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.1%FY2026 – -7.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.1% – +17.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.97BFY2026 – $3.86BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +19.4%FY2026 – -7.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -8.1% – +10.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZZLUDPNR
Held by institutions 94.6% – 95.0%
Institutions holding 364 – 719
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% – -0.1%
Institutions buying 196 – 353
Institutions selling 119 – 256
Buyers to sellers 1.65 – 1.38

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.

AZZLUDPNR
AZZ 1.00 0.13 0.29
LUD 0.13 1.00 -0.01
PNR 0.29 -0.01 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZZ, LUD and PNR?

Pentair (PNR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Azz (AZZ) $4.10B, Luda Technology (LUD) $86.68M, Pentair (PNR) $10.28B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZZ, LUD and PNR?

Pentair (PNR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Azz (AZZ) 24.5x, Luda Technology (LUD) 152.6x, Pentair (PNR) 16.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Pentair (PNR) is cheapest (Azz (AZZ) 18.6x, Pentair (PNR) 14.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Azz (AZZ) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Azz (AZZ) +9.5%, Pentair (PNR) -3.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Pentair (PNR) has the highest net margin (Azz (AZZ) 9.6%, Pentair (PNR) 15.4%). On return on invested capital, Pentair (PNR) leads (Azz (AZZ) 11.4%, Pentair (PNR) 12.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Azz (AZZ) returned the most: Azz (AZZ) +35.0%, Luda Technology (LUD) -57.6%, Pentair (PNR) -40.9%. Over five years, Azz (AZZ) compounded fastest (Azz (AZZ) +20.9%/yr, Pentair (PNR) -2.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Pentair (PNR) has the highest dividend yield: Azz (AZZ) 0.64%, Pentair (PNR) 1.68%. Luda Technology (LUD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Azz (AZZ) has been the steadiest (Azz (AZZ) 32.0%, Luda Technology (LUD) 144.1%, Pentair (PNR) 36.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZZ, LUD and PNR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Pentair (PNR) 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.