JHX vs CSL vs AYI Stock Comparison

James Hardie Industries, Carlisle Companies and Acuity Inc. (De) Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSL Carlisle Companies Inc
$371.47 +14.1% 1M +12.1% 1Y
Market cap
$14.41B
P/E
20.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.21B
Div. yield
1.22%
Building Products Industrials
5 wins
AYI Acuity Inc. (De)
$327.36 +6.1% 1M -9.4% 1Y
Market cap
$9.72B
P/E
18.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.64B
Div. yield
0.24%
Building Products Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Carlisle Companies leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Carlisle Companies 5, Acuity Inc. (De) 4, James Hardie Industries 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionJHXCSLAYILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.62B $14.41B $9.72B JHX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 107.2x 20.4x 18.7x AYI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.1x 17.1x 16.4x AYI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +42.9% +4.0% +6.8% JHX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.7% 13.8% 11.4% CSL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 2.6% 17.8% 15.4% CSL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.5x 1.9x 0.1x AYI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 1.22% 0.24% CSL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.0% +12.1% -9.4% JHX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -7.3%/yr +10.8%/yr +9.8%/yr CSL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.9% 37.3% 38.1% CSL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 36/100 53/100 81/100 AYI

Percentile Scorecard

JHXCSLAYI

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

AxisJHXCSLAYI
Valuation 24 #42 of 55 41 #33 of 55 76 #14 of 55
Growth 50 #26 of 51 34 #34 of 51 84 #9 of 51
Profitability 46 #27 of 49 85 #8 of 49 77 #12 of 49
Financial Health 33 #37 of 55 43 #32 of 55 87 #8 of 55
Shareholder Returns 26 #30 of 40 62 #16 of 40 82 #8 of 40
Overall 36 53 81
  • JHX ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • CSL ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products
  • AYI ranked among 59 companies in Construction Products

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodJHXCSLAYISPY
1 month +7.3%+14.1%+6.1% +0.7%
3 months +1.7%+0.4%-3.0% +3.7%
6 months +28.3%+4.6%+13.0% +7.1%
Year to date +29.7%+16.1%-9.1% +12.8%
1 year +26.0%+12.1%-9.4% +11.9%
3 years +8.4%+45.7%+105.6% +85.2%
3 years, per year +2.7%+13.4%+27.2% +22.8%
5 years -31.6%+66.6%+59.4% +67.6%
5 years, per year -7.3%+10.8%+9.8% +10.9%
10 years +80.4%+261.4%+46.7% +262.0%
10 years, per year +6.1%+13.7%+3.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureJHXCSLAYISPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.9%37.3%38.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.0%34.6%41.7% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.701.161.39 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.580.33-0.25 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -60.3%-38.6%-34.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.4%-11.3%-13.1% -1.2%
52-week high $31.09$418.74$376.69 $779.14
52-week low $16.69$295.41$257.79 $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.

MultipleJHXCSLAYI
P/E now vs peer median 107.2xmedian 20.3x 20.4xmedian 20.3x 18.7xmedian 20.3x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 1.6x 2.8xmedian 1.6x 2.1xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.4xmedian 12.6x 13.8xmedian 12.6x 11.2xmedian 12.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 43.8xmedian 16.9x 19.2xmedian 16.9x 13.0xmedian 16.9x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 3.0x 10.0xmedian 3.0x 3.3xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median -2.70median 1.13 2.80median 1.13 1.13median 1.13

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 monthsJHXCSLAYI
Revenue $5.41B $5.21B $4.64B
Gross profit $1.94B $1.81B $2.35B
Operating income $526.70M $1.02B $713.70M
Net income $145.70M $718.40M $531.30M
Free cash flow $356.40M $750.50M $747.90M
R&D $64.00M $48.30M –
EPS (diluted) $0.25 $18.14 $17.06
Cash & equivalents $289.90M $546.70M $636.30M
Total debt $4.28B $2.89B $697.40M
Shares (diluted) 584.30M 39.60M 31.15M
Enterprise value $14.69B $11.32B $8.02B

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
MetricJHXCSLAYI
P/E 107.2x 20.4x 18.7x
P/FCF 43.8x 19.2x 13.0x
P/Operating cash flow 21.5x 16.1x 11.8x
P/S 2.9x 2.8x 2.1x
P/B 2.4x 10.0x 3.3x
P/Tangible book 4.8x 140.1x 4.9x
EV/EBITDA 17.4x 13.8x 11.2x
EV/EBIT 37.2x 16.5x 13.7x
EV/Revenue 3.6x 3.2x 2.1x
EV/FCF 55.0x 22.3x 13.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.0x 18.7x 11.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.70 2.80 1.13

Growth

14 metrics
MetricJHXCSLAYI
Revenue growth (1Y) 42.9% 4.0% 6.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 4.2% 5.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 34.4% -0.6% 13.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 4.8% 11.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -5.8% -2.0% 26.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -11.3% 2.7% 14.7%
Net income growth (1Y) -56.0% -7.4% 34.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -34.0% -0.8% 15.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -67.6% 0.3% 36.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -39.7% 7.3% 16.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -11.8% -17.4% 37.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.0% -9.9% 12.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 110.4% -21.7% 40.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 75.0% -11.0% 13.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricJHXCSLAYI
Gross margin 35.9% 34.7% 50.6%
EBITDA margin 20.9% 23.3% 18.7%
Operating margin 9.7% 19.5% 15.4%
Pretax margin 5.1% 18.0% 14.7%
Net margin 2.7% 13.8% 11.4%
FCF margin 6.6% 14.4% 16.1%
Operating cash flow margin 13.4% 17.2% 17.8%
Return on equity 2.2% 47.0% 18.2%
Return on assets 1.0% 11.7% 11.2%
Return on invested capital 2.6% 17.8% 15.4%
Return on capital employed 4.2% 19.3% 19.5%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.9x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 5.0x 1.2x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.7% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricJHXCSLAYI
Debt / assets 31.7% 47.9% 14.3%
Debt / equity 0.7x 2.0x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.5x 1.9x 0.1x
Debt / FCF 12.0x 3.8x 0.9x
Liabilities / assets 51.5% 76.1% 39.0%
Equity / assets 48.5% 23.9% 61.0%
Interest coverage 1.8x 9.1x –
Current ratio 1.6x 2.4x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.6x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.6x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 2.14 5.36 6.07

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricJHXCSLAYI
Dividend yield – 1.2% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 1.9% 7.6% 2.9%
Shareholder yield 1.9% 8.8% 3.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 25.8% 4.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 24.7% 3.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 2.8% 15.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 5.5% 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.

ConsensusJHXCSLAYI
Forward P/E 19.1xFY2026 17.1xFY2026 16.4xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $1.41FY2026 $21.76FY2026 $20.01FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +29.4%FY2026 +12.2%FY2026 +0.6%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +12.8% +15.9% +21.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.13BFY2026 $4.97BFY2026 $4.68BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +6.0%FY2026 -1.0%FY2026 +0.9%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +15.1% +18.1% +14.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersJHXCSLAYI
Held by institutions 49.9% 100.0% 99.2%
Institutions holding 340 796 632
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.1% -1.1% +4.1%
Institutions buying 190 367 330
Institutions selling 100 292 191
Buyers to sellers 1.90 1.26 1.73

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.

JHXCSLAYI
JHX 1.00 0.62 0.38
CSL 0.62 1.00 0.42
AYI 0.38 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, JHX, CSL and AYI?

James Hardie Industries (JHX) is the largest by market capitalisation: James Hardie Industries (JHX) $15.62B, Carlisle Companies (CSL) $14.41B, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) $9.72B.

Which stock is cheaper, JHX, CSL and AYI?

Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 107.2x, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 20.4x, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 18.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) is cheapest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 19.1x, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 17.1x, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 16.4x). 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: James Hardie Industries (JHX) +42.9%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) +4.0%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +6.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Carlisle Companies (CSL) has the highest net margin (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.7%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 13.8%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 11.4%). On return on invested capital, Carlisle Companies (CSL) leads (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 2.6%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 17.8%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 15.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year James Hardie Industries (JHX) returned the most: James Hardie Industries (JHX) +26.0%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) +12.1%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) -9.4%. Over five years, Carlisle Companies (CSL) compounded fastest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) -7.3%/yr, Carlisle Companies (CSL) +10.8%/yr, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) +9.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Carlisle Companies (CSL) has the highest dividend yield: James Hardie Industries (JHX) 0.00%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 1.22%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 0.24%. James Hardie Industries (JHX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Carlisle Companies (CSL) has been the steadiest (James Hardie Industries (JHX) 44.9%, Carlisle Companies (CSL) 37.3%, Acuity Inc. (De) (AYI) 38.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Carlisle Companies (CSL) leads on 5. 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.