POWL vs TEL vs WAB Stock Comparison

Powell Industries, TE Connectivity and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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POWL Powell Industries Inc
$154.01 -21.5% 1M +20.5% 1Y
Market cap
$5.61B
P/E
29.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.16B
Div. yield
0.19%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
2 wins
TEL TE Connectivity plc
$217.56 -1.3% 1M -11.9% 1Y
Market cap
$62.99B
P/E
21.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$19.32B
Div. yield
1.37%
Electrical Equipment Industrials
8 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

TE Connectivity leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (TE Connectivity 8, Powell Industries 2, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPOWLTELWABLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.61B $62.99B $48.49B TEL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.4x 21.0x 38.2x TEL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.8x 20.4x 24.7x TEL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +16.5% +13.4% TEL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.5% 15.6% 10.6% POWL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 16.2% 8.3% TEL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.9x 2.4x TEL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.19% 1.37% 0.41% TEL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.5% -11.9% +40.3% WAB
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +76.5%/yr +7.2%/yr +25.4%/yr POWL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 64.1% 36.6% 26.4% WAB
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 76/100 58/100 TEL

Percentile Scorecard

POWLTELWAB

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

AxisPOWLTELWAB
Valuation 45 #112 of 203 62 #78 of 203 31 #140 of 203
Growth 91 #18 of 189 86 #27 of 189 86 #28 of 189
Profitability 97 #6 of 187 94 #12 of 187 66 #64 of 187
Financial Health 76 #55 of 221 66 #77 of 221 30 #155 of 221
Shareholder Returns 45 #84 of 152 74 #41 of 152 77 #36 of 152
Overall 71 76 58
  • POWL ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • TEL ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • WAB ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodPOWLTELWABSPY
1 month -21.5%-1.3%-0.3% -2.3%
3 months -29.9%+6.2%-3.3% -0.7%
6 months -42.9%+6.0%+9.4% +4.8%
Year to date +44.9%-4.4%+34.4% +10.3%
1 year +20.5%-11.9%+40.3% +10.3%
3 years +476.9%+73.0%+157.7% +73.0%
3 years, per year +79.4%+20.1%+37.1% +20.1%
5 years +1,609.3%+41.8%+209.8% +61.9%
5 years, per year +76.5%+7.2%+25.4% +10.1%
10 years +1,214.4%+245.8%+282.7% +258.6%
10 years, per year +29.4%+13.2%+14.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasurePOWLTELWABSPY
Volatility, 1Y 64.1%36.6%26.4% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 67.5%39.8%24.2% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.501.661.00 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.32-0.331.53 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.9%-35.2%-23.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -52.2%-12.6%-6.2% -3.5%
52-week high $322.05$249.00$305.87 $779.14
52-week low $94.02$195.84$196.14 $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.

MultiplePOWLTELWAB
P/E now vs peer median 29.4xmedian 25.6x 21.0xmedian 25.6x 38.2xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 1.9x 3.3xmedian 1.9x 4.0xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.1xmedian 14.4x 14.0xmedian 14.4x 21.7xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.0xmedian 22.5x 19.0xmedian 22.5x 28.3xmedian 22.5x
P/B now vs peer median 7.4xmedian 2.2x 4.8xmedian 2.2x 4.3xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.40median 1.36 1.28median 1.36 1.49median 1.36

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 monthsPOWLTELWAB
Revenue $1.16B $19.32B $11.98B
Gross profit $348.18M $6.98B $4.19B
Operating income $227.67M $3.81B $1.96B
Net income $190.86M $3.02B $1.28B
Free cash flow $243.96M $3.32B $1.71B
R&D $14.98M $919.00M $253.00M
EPS (diluted) $5.21 $10.29 $7.48
Cash & equivalents $633.56M $1.24B $670.00M
Total debt – $5.63B $6.57B
Shares (diluted) 36.60M 293.00M 169.60M
Enterprise value $3.46B $58.28B $46.01B

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
MetricPOWLTELWAB
P/E 29.4x 21.0x 38.2x
P/FCF 23.0x 19.0x 28.3x
P/Operating cash flow 21.9x 14.3x 24.3x
P/S 4.8x 3.3x 4.0x
P/B 7.4x 4.8x 4.3x
P/Tangible book 7.5x 5.6x 6.8x
EV/EBITDA 21.1x 14.0x 21.7x
EV/EBIT 21.9x 17.7x 27.7x
EV/Revenue 4.3x 3.5x 4.5x
EV/FCF 20.4x 20.3x 31.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.4x 15.3x 27.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.40 1.28 1.49

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPOWLTELWAB
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 16.5% 13.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 5.7% 10.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.9% 20.3% 19.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 39.2% 10.9% 15.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 8.0% 29.5% 14.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 74.2% 17.9% 21.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.8% 107.3% 9.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 73.1% 13.4% 22.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.6% 110.8% 11.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 72.8% 16.5% 25.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 153.9% 17.5% 20.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.5% 14.6% 41.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 201.1% 15.0% 18.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.0% 14.9% 47.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPOWLTELWAB
Gross margin 30.1% 36.1% 35.0%
EBITDA margin 20.4% 24.9% 21.0%
Operating margin 19.7% 19.7% 16.4%
Pretax margin 21.2% 19.5% 14.2%
Net margin 16.5% 15.6% 10.6%
FCF margin 21.1% 17.2% 14.3%
Operating cash flow margin 22.1% 22.9% 16.7%
Return on equity 26.1% 22.8% 11.4%
Return on assets 14.8% 11.7% 5.5%
Return on invested capital – 16.2% 8.3%
Return on capital employed 34.0% 18.0% 11.0%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.5x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.9% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPOWLTELWAB
Debt / assets – 21.6% 28.4%
Debt / equity – 0.4x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.9x 2.4x
Debt / FCF – 1.7x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 46.2% 49.2% 51.4%
Equity / assets 53.8% 50.8% 48.6%
Interest coverage – 31.3x 6.9x
Current ratio 2.0x 1.9x 1.1x
Quick ratio 1.8x 1.1x 0.5x
Cash ratio 1.0x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 7.81 5.14 3.55

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPOWLTELWAB
Dividend yield 0.2% 1.4% 0.4%
Net buyback yield – 2.6% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 0.2% 3.9% 1.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 6.8% 28.2% 15.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) 5.3% 25.7% 11.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.6% 7.8% 23.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.8% 5.8% 17.6%

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.

ConsensusPOWLTELWAB
Forward P/E 29.8xFY2026 20.4xFY2026 24.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.17FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $11.63FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.4%FY2026 +21.8%FY2026 +29.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +26.9% +15.1% +5.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.24BFY2026 $22.99BFY2027 $12.82BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +12.4%FY2026 +15.6%FY2027 +14.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +26.2% -2.9% -2.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPOWLTELWAB
Held by institutions 75.0% 94.1% 92.7%
Institutions holding 583 1,283 1,197
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.3% +3.0% +0.2%
Institutions buying 320 608 554
Institutions selling 215 453 410
Buyers to sellers 1.49 1.34 1.35

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.

POWLTELWAB
POWL 1.00 0.36 0.51
TEL 0.36 1.00 0.42
WAB 0.51 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, POWL, TEL and WAB?

TE Connectivity (TEL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Powell Industries (POWL) $5.61B, TE Connectivity (TEL) $62.99B, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) $48.49B.

Which stock is cheaper, POWL, TEL and WAB?

TE Connectivity (TEL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Powell Industries (POWL) 29.4x, TE Connectivity (TEL) 21.0x, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 38.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, TE Connectivity (TEL) is cheapest (Powell Industries (POWL) 29.8x, TE Connectivity (TEL) 20.4x, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 24.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

TE Connectivity (TEL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Powell Industries (POWL) +7.0%, TE Connectivity (TEL) +16.5%, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) +13.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Powell Industries (POWL) has the highest net margin (Powell Industries (POWL) 16.5%, TE Connectivity (TEL) 15.6%, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 10.6%). On return on invested capital, TE Connectivity (TEL) leads (TE Connectivity (TEL) 16.2%, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 8.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) returned the most: Powell Industries (POWL) +20.5%, TE Connectivity (TEL) -11.9%, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) +40.3%. Over five years, Powell Industries (POWL) compounded fastest (Powell Industries (POWL) +76.5%/yr, TE Connectivity (TEL) +7.2%/yr, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) +25.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

TE Connectivity (TEL) has the highest dividend yield: Powell Industries (POWL) 0.19%, TE Connectivity (TEL) 1.37%, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 0.41%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) has been the steadiest (Powell Industries (POWL) 64.1%, TE Connectivity (TEL) 36.6%, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) 26.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, POWL, TEL and WAB?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, TE Connectivity (TEL) leads on 8. 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.