POWL vs NVT vs VRT Stock Comparison

Powell Industries, nVent Electric and Vertiv Holdings Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
POWL Powell Industries Inc
$161.36 -14.9% 1M +29.4% 1Y
Market cap
$5.88B
P/E
30.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.16B
Div. yield
0.22%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
4 wins
NVT nVent Electric plc
$134.59 -18.2% 1M +29.5% 1Y
Market cap
$21.78B
P/E
36.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.83B
Div. yield
0.62%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
5 wins
VRT Vertiv Holdings Co
$208.78 -17.6% 1M +8.2% 1Y
Market cap
$80.37B
P/E
46.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.48B
Div. yield
0.12%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

nVent Electric leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (nVent Electric 5, Powell Industries 4, Vertiv Holdings 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPOWLNVTVRTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.88B $21.78B $80.37B VRT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 30.8x 36.4x 46.4x POWL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 31.2x 27.0x 30.2x NVT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +46.2% +26.2% NVT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.5% 12.4% 15.1% POWL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 11.9% 24.0% VRT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 1.2x -0.1x VRT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.22% 0.62% 0.12% NVT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +29.4% +29.5% +8.2% NVT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +79.6%/yr +31.4%/yr +52.1%/yr POWL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 64.2% 50.2% 66.0% NVT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 70/100 59/100 59/100 POWL

Percentile Scorecard

POWLNVTVRT

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

AxisPOWLNVTVRT
Valuation 42 #118 of 203 25 #153 of 203 26 #150 of 203
Growth 91 #18 of 188 89 #21 of 188 100 #2 of 188
Profitability 98 #4 of 183 76 #44 of 183 100 #2 of 183
Financial Health 75 #56 of 217 62 #84 of 217 56 #96 of 217
Shareholder Returns 45 #84 of 153 41 #91 of 153 16 #129 of 153
Overall 70 59 59
  • POWL ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • NVT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • VRT ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodPOWLNVTVRTSPY
1 month -14.9%-18.2%-17.6% -0.2%
3 months -19.7%-5.0%-22.5% +3.9%
6 months -36.9%-2.7%-31.6% +8.2%
Year to date +51.9%+32.0%+28.9% +12.9%
1 year +29.4%+29.5%+8.2% +12.3%
3 years +553.1%+193.4%+473.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +87.0%+43.2%+79.0% +23.3%
5 years +1,763.3%+290.7%+712.4% +67.9%
5 years, per year +79.6%+31.4%+52.1% +10.9%
10 years +1,257.9%—— +261.1%
10 years, per year +29.8%—— +13.7%

Risk

MeasurePOWLNVTVRTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 64.2%50.2%66.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 67.8%56.9%67.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.502.242.90 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.460.590.12 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.9%-47.1%-70.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -49.9%-27.0%-44.5% -1.2%
52-week high $322.05$184.34$376.23 $779.14
52-week low $94.02$94.99$149.83 $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.

MultiplePOWLNVTVRT
P/E now vs peer median 30.8xmedian 25.2x 36.4xmedian 25.2x 46.4xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 5.1xmedian 1.9x 4.5xmedian 1.9x 7.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 22.2xmedian 14.0x 21.8xmedian 14.0x 31.3xmedian 14.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 21.7x 33.0xmedian 21.7x 27.4xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 7.8xmedian 2.3x 5.5xmedian 2.3x 16.9xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.42median 1.32 1.80median 1.32 0.42median 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 monthsPOWLNVTVRT
Revenue $1.16B $4.83B $11.48B
Gross profit $348.18M $1.79B $4.37B
Operating income $227.67M $826.50M $2.17B
Net income $190.86M $598.30M $1.73B
Free cash flow $243.96M $659.90M $2.93B
R&D $14.98M $89.10M –
EPS (diluted) $5.21 $3.65 $4.41
Cash & equivalents $633.56M $256.00M $2.81B
Total debt – $1.49B $2.94B
Shares (diluted) 36.60M 164.10M 392.75M
Enterprise value $3.72B $20.97B $70.99B

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
MetricPOWLNVTVRT
P/E 30.8x 36.4x 46.4x
P/FCF 24.1x 33.0x 27.4x
P/Operating cash flow 23.0x 28.2x 24.0x
P/S 5.1x 4.5x 7.0x
P/B 7.8x 5.5x 16.9x
P/Tangible book 7.8x 9.9x 27.2x
EV/EBITDA 22.2x 21.8x 31.3x
EV/EBIT 23.0x 27.9x 36.9x
EV/Revenue 4.5x 4.8x 7.0x
EV/FCF 21.5x 34.9x 27.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.5x 29.8x 23.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.42 1.80 0.42

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPOWLNVTVRT
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 46.2% 26.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 26.0% 21.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.9% 37.9% 36.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 39.2% 23.8% 29.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8.0% 53.9% 39.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 74.2% 29.0% 55.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.8% 2.1% 113.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 73.1% 9.3% 112.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.6% 1.8% 111.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 72.8% 20.3% 110.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 153.9% 33.9% 135.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.5% 17.4% 91.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 201.1% 32.8% 134.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.0% 15.8% 100.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPOWLNVTVRT
Gross margin 30.1% 37.0% 38.0%
EBITDA margin 20.4% 21.9% 22.3%
Operating margin 19.7% 17.1% 18.9%
Pretax margin 21.2% 15.7% 18.4%
Net margin 16.5% 12.4% 15.1%
FCF margin 21.1% 13.7% 25.5%
Operating cash flow margin 22.1% 16.0% 29.2%
Return on equity 26.1% 15.4% 38.5%
Return on assets 14.8% 8.5% 11.8%
Return on invested capital – 11.9% 24.0%
Return on capital employed 34.0% 13.9% 29.4%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.3x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.8% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPOWLNVTVRT
Debt / assets – 20.9% 18.5%
Debt / equity – 0.4x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA – 1.2x -0.1x
Debt / FCF – 2.3x 1.0x
Liabilities / assets 46.2% 44.2% 70.1%
Equity / assets 53.8% 55.8% 29.9%
Interest coverage – – 41.4x
Current ratio 2.0x 1.8x 1.4x
Quick ratio 1.8x 1.1x 0.9x
Cash ratio 1.0x 0.2x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 8.05 5.73 5.87

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPOWLNVTVRT
Dividend yield 0.2% 0.6% 0.1%
Net buyback yield – 0.2% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 0.2% 0.9% 0.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 6.8% 22.2% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 5.3% 20.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.6% 3.1% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.8% 4.3% –

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.

ConsensusPOWLNVTVRT
Forward P/E 31.2xFY2026 27.0xFY2026 30.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.17FY2026 $4.99FY2026 $6.91FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.4%FY2026 +49.0%FY2026 +64.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +26.9% +29.3% +40.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.24BFY2026 $5.73BFY2026 $14.66BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +12.4%FY2026 +47.2%FY2026 +43.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +26.2% +12.6% +20.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPOWLNVTVRT
Held by institutions 75.0% 90.7% 81.7%
Institutions holding 581 970 2,038
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.3% 0.0% +0.0%
Institutions buying 318 555 1,170
Institutions selling 215 288 691
Buyers to sellers 1.48 1.93 1.69

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.

POWLNVTVRT
POWL 1.00 0.64 0.63
NVT 0.64 1.00 0.72
VRT 0.63 0.72 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, POWL, NVT and VRT?

Vertiv Holdings (VRT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Powell Industries (POWL) $5.88B, nVent Electric (NVT) $21.78B, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) $80.37B.

Which stock is cheaper, POWL, NVT and VRT?

Powell Industries (POWL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Powell Industries (POWL) 30.8x, nVent Electric (NVT) 36.4x, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) 46.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, nVent Electric (NVT) is cheapest (Powell Industries (POWL) 31.2x, nVent Electric (NVT) 27.0x, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) 30.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

nVent Electric (NVT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Powell Industries (POWL) +7.0%, nVent Electric (NVT) +46.2%, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) +26.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Powell Industries (POWL) has the highest net margin (Powell Industries (POWL) 16.5%, nVent Electric (NVT) 12.4%, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) 15.1%). On return on invested capital, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) leads (nVent Electric (NVT) 11.9%, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) 24.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year nVent Electric (NVT) returned the most: Powell Industries (POWL) +29.4%, nVent Electric (NVT) +29.5%, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) +8.2%. Over five years, Powell Industries (POWL) compounded fastest (Powell Industries (POWL) +79.6%/yr, nVent Electric (NVT) +31.4%/yr, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) +52.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

nVent Electric (NVT) has the highest dividend yield: Powell Industries (POWL) 0.22%, nVent Electric (NVT) 0.62%, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) 0.12%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, nVent Electric (NVT) has been the steadiest (Powell Industries (POWL) 64.2%, nVent Electric (NVT) 50.2%, Vertiv Holdings (VRT) 66.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, POWL, NVT and VRT?

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