COMPARE · Reviewed July 29, 2026
AYI vs VRT
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AYI scored 70.7, VRT scored 77.4 — VRT leads.
Compare another set
AYI
Acuity Inc.
70.7
$333.75 · $10.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
6.7
VRT leads
VRT
Vertiv Holdings Co
77.4
$223.04 · $85.7B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AYI
stronger →← stronger
VRT
78
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
86
76
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
99
60
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
55
VRT is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AYI
VRT
$639mC+
FCF
$2.9bB
+10.5%B
Rev
+26.2%A-
0.28A-
D/E
0.77B
22.1xB+
P/E
55.9xC
1.33B
PEG
1.35B
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AYI
VRT
12% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
117% above
~9%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~37%/yr
-18%
1-yr DCF upside
-64%
-11%
5-yr DCF upside
-54%
0%
10-yr DCF upside
-35%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AYI
Why this score
- Buying back stock
VRT
Why this score
- Durable high returns
The companies
AYIAcuity Inc.
Why now
Electrical Equipment & Parts · market cap $10.0b. 12% off the 52-week high of $380.17. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $398.29 (implying +19% upside).
Moat
ROE 17% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 135% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
VRTVertiv Holdings Co
Why now
Electrical Equipment & Parts · market cap $85.7b. Down 41% from 52-week high of $379.94 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +26% — in hypergrowth territory. 26 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $376.15 (implying +69% upside).
Moat
Net margin 15% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 36% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 169% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 55.9x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Down 41% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 2.03 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.