JHX vs AYI vs WMS Stock Comparison

James Hardie Industries, Acuity Inc. (De) and Advanced Drainage Systems Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AYI Acuity Inc. (De)
$316.80 +3.6% 1M -12.7% 1Y
Market cap
$9.91B
P/E
18.7x
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.

QuestionJHXAYIWMSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.64B $9.91B $10.44B JHX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 107.4x 18.7x 23.1x AYI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.5x 15.8x 20.3x AYI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +42.9% +6.8% +10.4% JHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.7% 11.4% 14.0% WMS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 2.6% 15.4% 14.7% AYI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.5x 0.1x 1.6x AYI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% WMS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.5% -12.7% -7.8% JHX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -7.9%/yr +9.1%/yr +2.9%/yr AYI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 45.1% 38.0% 36.2% WMS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 34/100 82/100 63/100 AYI

Percentile Scorecard

JHXAYIWMS

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

AxisJHXAYIWMS
Valuation 20 #44 of 55 74 #15 of 55 48 #29 of 55
Growth 50 #26 of 51 84 #9 of 51 48 #27 of 51
Profitability 40 #29 of 48 79 #11 of 48 87 #7 of 48
Financial Health 32 #37 of 54 89 #7 of 54 47 #29 of 54
Shareholder Returns 25 #31 of 41 83 #8 of 41 85 #7 of 41
Overall 34 82 63
  • JHX ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • AYI ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • WMS ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodJHXAYIWMSSPY
1 month +2.7%+3.6%-0.6% +0.9%
3 months -0.5%-5.1%-5.9% +5.9%
6 months +28.0%+10.8%-11.1% +8.5%
Year to date +25.7%-12.0%-10.2% +13.3%
1 year +16.5%-12.7%-7.8% +12.4%
3 years +6.3%+100.1%+23.5% +88.1%
3 years, per year +2.1%+26.0%+7.3% +23.5%
5 years -33.7%+54.2%+15.3% +68.2%
5 years, per year -7.9%+9.1%+2.9% +11.0%
10 years +74.8%+42.0%+565.4% +263.4%
10 years, per year +5.7%+3.6%+20.9% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureJHXAYIWMSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 45.1%38.0%36.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.4%41.6%33.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.711.401.37 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.37-0.34-0.21 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -60.3%-34.7%-50.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.1%-15.9%-25.8% -0.9%
52-week high $31.09$376.69$175.38 $779.14
52-week low $16.69$257.79$125.22 $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.

MultipleJHXAYIWMS
P/E now vs peer median 103.9xmedian 20.0x 18.1xmedian 20.0x 22.1xmedian 20.0x
P/S now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 1.5x 2.0xmedian 1.5x 2.9xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 11.3x 10.9xmedian 11.3x 11.9xmedian 11.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 42.5xmedian 15.3x 12.6xmedian 15.3x 16.9xmedian 15.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 2.8x 3.2xmedian 2.8x 5.1xmedian 2.8x
PEG now vs peer median -2.62median 0.99 1.09median 0.99 -11.77median 0.99

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 monthsJHXAYIWMS
Revenue $5.41B $4.64B $3.22B
Gross profit $1.94B $2.35B $1.24B
Operating income $526.70M $713.70M $668.00M
Net income $145.70M $531.30M $455.60M
Free cash flow $356.40M $747.90M $550.15M
R&D $64.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $0.25 $17.06 $5.86
Cash & equivalents $289.90M $636.30M $162.25M
Total debt $4.28B $697.40M $1.61B
Shares (diluted) 584.30M 31.15M 77.02M
Enterprise value $14.71B $8.22B $8.23B

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
MetricJHXAYIWMS
P/E 103.9x 18.1x 22.1x
P/FCF 42.5x 12.6x 16.9x
P/Operating cash flow 20.8x 11.4x 11.5x
P/S 2.8x 2.0x 2.9x
P/B 2.3x 3.2x 5.1x
P/Tangible book 4.6x 4.8x 9.4x
EV/EBITDA 16.9x 10.9x 11.9x
EV/EBIT 36.3x 13.3x 16.1x
EV/Revenue 3.5x 2.0x 3.3x
EV/FCF 53.7x 12.7x 19.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.3x 11.5x 13.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.62 1.09 -11.77

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricJHXAYIWMS
Debt / assets 31.7% 14.3% 35.8%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.2x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.5x 0.1x 1.6x
Debt / FCF 12.0x 0.9x 2.9x
Liabilities / assets 51.5% 39.0% 59.7%
Equity / assets 48.5% 61.0% 40.3%
Interest coverage 1.8x – –
Current ratio 1.6x 1.7x 2.1x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.2x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.6x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.09 5.97 4.07

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricJHXAYIWMS
Dividend yield – 0.3% 0.6%
Net buyback yield 2.0% 3.0% 3.4%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 3.2% 4.0%
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.

ConsensusJHXAYIWMS
Forward P/E 18.5xFY2026 15.8xFY2027 20.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.41FY2026 $20.01FY2027 $6.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +29.4%FY2026 +0.6%FY2027 +2.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.8% +21.7% +22.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.13BFY2026 $4.68BFY2027 $3.62BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.0%FY2026 +0.9%FY2027 +18.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.1% +14.4% +5.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersJHXAYIWMS
Held by institutions 49.9% 99.2% 90.9%
Institutions holding 340 631 553
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.1% +4.1% +0.3%
Institutions buying 190 330 259
Institutions selling 100 190 209
Buyers to sellers 1.90 1.74 1.24

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.

JHXAYIWMS
JHX 1.00 0.38 0.55
AYI 0.38 1.00 0.45
WMS 0.55 0.45 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, JHX, AYI and WMS?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) is the largest by market capitalisation: James Hardie Industries (JHX) $15.64B, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) $9.91B, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) $10.44B.

Which stock is cheaper, JHX, AYI and WMS?

Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 107.4x, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 18.7x, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 23.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) is cheapest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 18.5x, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.8x, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 20.3x). 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: James Hardie Industries (JHX) +42.9%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +6.8%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) +10.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) has the highest net margin (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.7%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 11.4%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 14.0%). On return on invested capital, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) leads (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.6%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.4%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 14.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year James Hardie Industries (JHX) returned the most: James Hardie Industries (JHX) +16.5%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) -12.7%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) -7.8%. Over five years, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) compounded fastest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) -7.9%/yr, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +9.1%/yr, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) +2.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) has the highest dividend yield: James Hardie Industries (JHX) 0.00%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 0.00%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 0.01%. 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 (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 45.1%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 38.0%, Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) 36.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, JHX, AYI and WMS?

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.