Generac (GNRC) Competitors

Generac (NYSE:GNRC) and Acuity (NYSE:AYI) are both mid-cap electrical components & equipment companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, media sentiment, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.

Which has better earnings & valuation, GNRC or AYI?

Acuity has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Generac. Acuity is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Generac, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Generac	$4.30B	2.02	$325.26M	$5.74	25.57
Acuity	$3.84B	2.29	$422.60M	$12.69	22.61

Does the media refer more to GNRC or AYI?

In the previous week, Generac had 16 more articles in the media than Acuity. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for Generac and 8 mentions for Acuity. Acuity's average media sentiment score of 1.62 beat Generac's score of 1.14 indicating that Acuity is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Generac	15 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Acuity	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Do analysts prefer GNRC or AYI?

Generac currently has a consensus price target of $169.17, indicating a potential upside of 15.25%. Acuity has a consensus price target of $340.60, indicating a potential upside of 18.72%. Given Acuity's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Acuity is more favorable than Generac.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Generac	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.63
Acuity	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Which has more volatility & risk, GNRC or AYI?

Generac has a beta of 1.72, indicating that its share price is 72% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acuity has a beta of 1.62, indicating that its share price is 62% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in GNRC or AYI?

84.0% of Generac shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.2% of Acuity shares are held by institutional investors. 2.7% of Generac shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Acuity shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is GNRC or AYI more profitable?

Acuity has a net margin of 9.63% compared to Generac's net margin of 7.68%. Acuity's return on equity of 20.35% beat Generac's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Generac	7.68%	18.90%	9.00%
Acuity	9.63%	20.35%	11.98%

Summary

Acuity beats Generac on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.