GBX vs POWL vs TRN Stock Comparison

Greenbrier Companies, Powell Industries and Trinity Industries Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GBX Greenbrier Companies Inc
$38.53 -6.3% 1M -8.3% 1Y
Market cap
$1.19B
P/E
15.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.46B
Div. yield
3.43%
Rail Equipment Industrials
2 wins
POWL Powell Industries Inc
$168.48 -10.6% 1M +23.8% 1Y
Market cap
$6.14B
P/E
32.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.16B
Div. yield
0.18%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
6 wins
TRN Trinity Industries Inc
$28.37 +6.3% 1M +1.9% 1Y
Market cap
$2.22B
P/E
6.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.12B
Div. yield
4.37%
Rail Equipment Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Powell Industries leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Powell Industries 6, Trinity Industries 4, Greenbrier Companies 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGBXPOWLTRNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.19B $6.14B $2.22B POWL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 15.1x 32.2x 6.9x TRN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.2x 32.6x 13.6x GBX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -24.0% +7.0% -2.4% POWL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.2% 16.5% 15.4% POWL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.2% — 8.5% TRN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.8x — 5.0x TRN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 3.43% 0.18% 4.37% TRN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.3% +23.8% +1.9% POWL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.2%/yr +81.3%/yr +0.2%/yr POWL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.0% 64.0% 36.8% GBX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 41/100 70/100 61/100 POWL

Percentile Scorecard

GBXPOWLTRN

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

AxisGBXPOWLTRN
Valuation 64 #74 of 203 41 #120 of 203 77 #47 of 203
Growth 11 #168 of 188 90 #19 of 188 73 #52 of 188
Profitability 26 #135 of 183 98 #5 of 183 64 #66 of 183
Financial Health 13 #188 of 216 74 #56 of 216 4 #208 of 216
Shareholder Returns 89 #17 of 152 46 #83 of 152 85 #24 of 152
Overall 41 70 61
  • GBX ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • POWL ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • TRN ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodGBXPOWLTRNSPY
1 month -6.3%-10.6%+6.3% +0.7%
3 months -21.6%-19.5%-17.3% +3.7%
6 months -21.6%-39.2%-13.0% +7.1%
Year to date -17.6%+58.6%+7.3% +12.8%
1 year -8.3%+23.8%+1.9% +11.9%
3 years +13.5%+570.1%+36.4% +85.2%
3 years, per year +4.3%+88.6%+10.9% +22.8%
5 years -6.1%+1,854.5%+1.1% +67.6%
5 years, per year -1.2%+81.3%+0.2% +10.9%
10 years +25.5%+1,334.2%+87.5% +262.0%
10 years, per year +2.3%+30.5%+6.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureGBXPOWLTRNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.0%64.0%36.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.4%67.8%35.7% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.402.500.51 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.270.370.05 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -54.6%-55.9%-43.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -34.6%-47.7%-25.5% -1.2%
52-week high $58.87$322.05$38.09 $779.14
52-week low $37.48$94.02$24.82 $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.

MultipleGBXPOWLTRN
P/E now vs peer median 15.1xmedian 25.8x 32.2xmedian 25.8x 6.9xmedian 25.8x
P/S now vs peer median 0.5xmedian 1.9x 5.3xmedian 1.9x 1.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.2xmedian 14.6x 23.3xmedian 14.6x 7.1xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median -5.0xmedian 22.2x 25.2xmedian 22.2x -8.5xmedian 22.2x
P/B now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 2.2x 8.1xmedian 2.2x 2.0xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.45median 1.45 0.44median 1.45 0.11median 1.45

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 monthsGBXPOWLTRN
Revenue $2.46B $1.16B $2.12B
Gross profit $333.70M $348.18M $521.30M
Operating income $143.60M $227.67M $731.90M
Net income $81.60M $190.86M $334.90M
Free cash flow -$239.70M $243.96M -$259.60M
R&D – $14.98M –
EPS (diluted) $2.49 $5.21 $4.03
Cash & equivalents $235.10M $633.56M $158.30M
Total debt $1.84B – $5.33B
Shares (diluted) 31.77M 36.60M 81.00M
Enterprise value -$80.32M $3.98B $1.57B

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
MetricGBXPOWLTRN
P/E 15.1x 32.2x 6.9x
P/FCF -5.0x 25.2x -8.5x
P/Operating cash flow 30.2x 24.0x 5.3x
P/S 0.5x 5.3x 1.0x
P/B 0.7x 8.1x 2.0x
P/Tangible book 0.8x 8.2x 2.0x
EV/EBITDA 10.2x 23.3x 7.1x
EV/EBIT 19.5x 24.2x 10.1x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 4.8x 3.5x
EV/FCF -11.7x 22.6x -28.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 70.6x 21.5x 17.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.45 0.44 0.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGBXPOWLTRN
Revenue growth (1Y) -24.0% 7.0% -2.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -14.5% 21.0% -8.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -45.1% 11.9% -8.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -8.9% 39.2% 3.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -60.1% 8.0% 71.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -6.6% 74.2% 24.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -61.7% 8.8% 177.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 2.6% 73.1% 52.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -60.8% 8.6% 246.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 10.4% 72.8% 65.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -85.1% 153.9% 7.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -17.8% 25.5% 15.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -1,531% 201.1% 33.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.2% 25.0% 19.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGBXPOWLTRN
Gross margin 13.6% 30.1% 24.6%
EBITDA margin 11.1% 20.4% 48.8%
Operating margin 5.8% 19.7% 34.5%
Pretax margin 3.2% 21.2% 21.9%
Net margin 3.2% 16.5% 15.4%
FCF margin -9.7% 21.1% -12.2%
Operating cash flow margin 1.6% 22.1% 19.9%
Return on equity 4.8% 26.1% 29.4%
Return on assets 1.9% 14.8% 4.0%
Return on invested capital 3.2% – 8.5%
Return on capital employed – 34.0% –
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.9x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.3x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.5% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGBXPOWLTRN
Debt / assets 41.4% – 63.8%
Debt / equity 1.1x – 4.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.8x – 5.0x
Debt / FCF -7.7x – -20.5x
Liabilities / assets 61.9% 46.2% 86.4%
Equity / assets 38.1% 53.8% 13.6%
Interest coverage 2.0x – –
Current ratio – 2.0x –
Quick ratio – 1.8x –
Cash ratio – 1.0x –
Altman Z-score – 8.29 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGBXPOWLTRN
Dividend yield 3.4% 0.2% 4.4%
Net buyback yield 1.1% – 2.5%
Shareholder yield 4.5% 0.2% 6.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 6.8% 29.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 5.3% -38.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 1.6% 1.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.8% 6.1%

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.

ConsensusGBXPOWLTRN
Forward P/E 11.2xFY2027 32.6xFY2026 13.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.44FY2027 $5.17FY2026 $2.08FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +32.3%FY2027 +4.4%FY2026 -33.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +37.5% +26.9% -1.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.82BFY2027 $1.24BFY2026 $2.34BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.7%FY2027 +12.4%FY2026 +8.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.5% +26.2% +4.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGBXPOWLTRN
Held by institutions 100.0% 75.0% 95.3%
Institutions holding 271 582 344
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.9% -4.3% +6.3%
Institutions buying 132 319 171
Institutions selling 83 215 96
Buyers to sellers 1.59 1.48 1.78

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.

GBXPOWLTRN
GBX 1.00 0.16 0.61
POWL 0.16 1.00 0.17
TRN 0.61 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GBX, POWL and TRN?

Powell Industries (POWL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Greenbrier Companies (GBX) $1.19B, Powell Industries (POWL) $6.14B, Trinity Industries (TRN) $2.22B.

Which stock is cheaper, GBX, POWL and TRN?

Trinity Industries (TRN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 15.1x, Powell Industries (POWL) 32.2x, Trinity Industries (TRN) 6.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) is cheapest (Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 11.2x, Powell Industries (POWL) 32.6x, Trinity Industries (TRN) 13.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Powell Industries (POWL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -24.0%, Powell Industries (POWL) +7.0%, Trinity Industries (TRN) -2.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Powell Industries (POWL) has the highest net margin (Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.2%, Powell Industries (POWL) 16.5%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 15.4%). On return on invested capital, Trinity Industries (TRN) leads (Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.2%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 8.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Powell Industries (POWL) returned the most: Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -8.3%, Powell Industries (POWL) +23.8%, Trinity Industries (TRN) +1.9%. Over five years, Powell Industries (POWL) compounded fastest (Greenbrier Companies (GBX) -1.2%/yr, Powell Industries (POWL) +81.3%/yr, Trinity Industries (TRN) +0.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Trinity Industries (TRN) has the highest dividend yield: Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 3.43%, Powell Industries (POWL) 0.18%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 4.37%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Greenbrier Companies (GBX) has been the steadiest (Greenbrier Companies (GBX) 31.0%, Powell Industries (POWL) 64.0%, Trinity Industries (TRN) 36.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GBX, POWL and TRN?

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