AZZ vs LXFR vs PRLB Stock Comparison

Azz, Luxfer Holdings and Proto Labs Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AZZ Azz Inc
$137.17 +0.1% 1M +38.9% 1Y
Market cap
$4.10B
P/E
24.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.75B
Div. yield
0.64%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
7 wins
LXFR Luxfer Holdings Plc
$17.27 +0.1% 1M +28.9% 1Y
Market cap
$462.13M
P/E
57.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$363.20M
Div. yield
2.26%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
2 wins
PRLB Proto Labs Inc
$89.35 -7.2% 1M +64.4% 1Y
Market cap
$2.14B
P/E
70.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$560.54M
Div. yield
–
3D Printing Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Azz leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Azz 7, Proto Labs 3, Luxfer Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZZLXFRPRLBLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.10B $462.13M $2.14B AZZ
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.6x 57.7x 70.3x AZZ
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.6x 17.4x 39.0x LXFR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.5% -10.6% +10.2% PRLB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.6% 2.2% 5.4% AZZ
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.4% 4.6% — AZZ
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.2x 1.4x — AZZ
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.64% 2.26% — LXFR
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +38.9% +28.9% +64.4% PRLB
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +20.9%/yr -3.0%/yr +8.8%/yr AZZ
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.1% 33.2% 46.9% AZZ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 50/100 59/100 PRLB

Percentile Scorecard

AZZLXFRPRLB

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

AxisAZZLXFRPRLB
Valuation 73 #55 of 203 58 #85 of 203 32 #138 of 203
Growth 62 #72 of 188 16 #159 of 188 83 #32 of 188
Profitability 72 #52 of 183 39 #113 of 183 50 #93 of 183
Financial Health 56 #97 of 217 59 #90 of 217 95 #11 of 217
Shareholder Returns 24 #117 of 153 81 #30 of 153 35 #100 of 153
Overall 57 50 59
  • AZZ ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • LXFR ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • PRLB ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAZZLXFRPRLBSPY
1 month +0.1%+0.1%-7.2% -0.2%
3 months -6.3%+1.1%+19.3% +3.9%
6 months -3.1%+29.9%+40.3% +8.2%
Year to date +28.0%+27.6%+76.6% +12.9%
1 year +38.9%+28.9%+64.4% +12.3%
3 years +195.2%+102.0%+283.8% +87.4%
3 years, per year +43.5%+26.4%+56.6% +23.3%
5 years +158.7%-13.9%+52.4% +67.9%
5 years, per year +20.9%-3.0%+8.8% +10.9%
10 years +158.1%—+90.7% +261.1%
10 years, per year +9.9%—+6.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAZZLXFRPRLBSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.1%33.2%46.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.2%39.2%39.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.180.962.07 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.210.871.37 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -46.8%-67.3%-65.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.4%-9.5%-9.4% -1.2%
52-week high $160.17$19.08$98.64 $779.14
52-week low $97.64$11.51$46.81 $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.

MultipleAZZLXFRPRLB
P/E now vs peer median 24.6xmedian 25.2x 57.7xmedian 25.2x 70.3xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 1.9x 1.3xmedian 1.9x 3.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 14.0x 15.5xmedian 14.0x 28.7xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.1xmedian 21.7x 27.5xmedian 21.7x 37.7xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 2.3x 2.1xmedian 2.3x 3.1xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.28median 1.32 -2.97median 1.32 2.20median 1.32

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 monthsAZZLXFRPRLB
Revenue $1.75B $363.20M $560.54M
Gross profit $423.83M $90.20M $254.60M
Operating income $287.42M $22.70M $36.81M
Net income $167.46M $8.00M $30.48M
Free cash flow $214.45M $16.80M $56.66M
R&D – $5.10M $42.36M
EPS (diluted) $5.56 $0.29 $1.25
Cash & equivalents $1.95M $11.50M $127.92M
Total debt $468.47M – –
Shares (diluted) 30.12M 27.22M 24.42M
Enterprise value $4.10B $421.53M $1.61B

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
MetricAZZLXFRPRLB
P/E 24.6x 57.7x 70.3x
P/FCF 19.1x 27.5x 37.7x
P/Operating cash flow 14.0x 17.8x 27.2x
P/S 2.4x 1.3x 3.8x
P/B 2.9x 2.1x 3.1x
P/Tangible book 4.1x 2.2x 3.2x
EV/EBITDA 12.0x 15.5x 28.7x
EV/EBIT 15.9x 22.4x 54.2x
EV/Revenue 2.6x 1.4x 3.6x
EV/FCF 21.3x 30.3x 35.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.6x 19.6x 25.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.28 -2.97 2.20

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZZLXFRPRLB
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.5% -10.6% 10.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% -5.4% 4.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.0% -1.3% 13.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.9% -0.1% 6.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 21.3% -33.6% 121.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.4% -14.7% 33.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -46.7% -67.1% 105.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 99.0% -19.3% 31.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -46.5% -67.2% 103.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 87.1% -19.4% 32.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -42.0% -42.4% 10.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 20.3% 6.7% 7.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -47.3% -52.8% -14.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 35.3% 14.8% 11.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZZLXFRPRLB
Gross margin 24.3% 24.8% 45.4%
EBITDA margin 21.8% 9.0% 12.4%
Operating margin 16.5% 6.3% 6.6%
Pretax margin 12.9% 5.4% 7.6%
Net margin 9.6% 2.2% 5.4%
FCF margin 12.3% 4.6% 10.1%
Operating cash flow margin 16.7% 7.2% 14.0%
Return on equity 12.0% 3.6% 4.4%
Return on assets 7.3% 2.0% 3.9%
Return on invested capital 11.4% 4.6% –
Return on capital employed 14.1% 7.3% 5.2%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.9x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 3.3x 2.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 1.1% 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZZLXFRPRLB
Debt / assets 20.0% 15.0% –
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.3x –
Net debt / EBITDA 1.2x 1.4x –
Debt / FCF 2.2x 3.5x –
Liabilities / assets 39.5% 42.8% 12.6%
Equity / assets 60.5% 57.2% 87.4%
Interest coverage 6.3x 7.3x –
Current ratio 1.8x 2.3x 3.6x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 3.2x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.1x 2.0x
Altman Z-score 4.51 3.50 14.49

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZZLXFRPRLB
Dividend yield 0.6% 2.3% –
Net buyback yield – 0.7% 0.6%
Shareholder yield 0.6% 3.0% 0.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusAZZLXFRPRLB
Forward P/E 18.6xFY2026 17.4xFY2026 39.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.37FY2026 $0.99FY2026 $2.29FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.1%FY2026 -10.8%FY2026 +38.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.1% +41.4% +10.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.97BFY2026 $386.72MFY2026 $612.40MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +19.4%FY2026 +4.2%FY2026 +14.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -8.1% +2.6% +4.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZZLXFRPRLB
Held by institutions 94.6% 91.6% 93.7%
Institutions holding 364 136 276
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% -1.6% +1.7%
Institutions buying 196 76 145
Institutions selling 119 41 89
Buyers to sellers 1.65 1.85 1.63

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.

AZZLXFRPRLB
AZZ 1.00 0.39 0.50
LXFR 0.39 1.00 0.37
PRLB 0.50 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZZ, LXFR and PRLB?

Azz (AZZ) is the largest by market capitalisation: Azz (AZZ) $4.10B, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) $462.13M, Proto Labs (PRLB) $2.14B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZZ, LXFR and PRLB?

Azz (AZZ) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Azz (AZZ) 24.6x, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 57.7x, Proto Labs (PRLB) 70.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) is cheapest (Azz (AZZ) 18.6x, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 17.4x, Proto Labs (PRLB) 39.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Proto Labs (PRLB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Azz (AZZ) +9.5%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -10.6%, Proto Labs (PRLB) +10.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Azz (AZZ) has the highest net margin (Azz (AZZ) 9.6%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 2.2%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 5.4%). On return on invested capital, Azz (AZZ) leads (Azz (AZZ) 11.4%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 4.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Proto Labs (PRLB) returned the most: Azz (AZZ) +38.9%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) +28.9%, Proto Labs (PRLB) +64.4%. Over five years, Azz (AZZ) compounded fastest (Azz (AZZ) +20.9%/yr, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) -3.0%/yr, Proto Labs (PRLB) +8.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) has the highest dividend yield: Azz (AZZ) 0.64%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 2.26%. Proto Labs (PRLB) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Azz (AZZ) has been the steadiest (Azz (AZZ) 32.1%, Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) 33.2%, Proto Labs (PRLB) 46.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZZ, LXFR and PRLB?

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