AYI vs. PLPC

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) and Preformed Line Products Company (PLPC).

Performance

AYI vs. PLPC - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) and Preformed Line Products Company (PLPC). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AYI vs. PLPC - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
AYI Acuity Brands, Inc.	-22.12%	23.53%	42.95%	24.06%	-21.55%	75.42%	-11.79%	20.54%	-34.44%	-23.55%
PLPC Preformed Line Products Company	31.11%	62.61%	-3.93%	61.77%	29.93%	-4.34%	15.14%	12.87%	-22.73%	23.98%

Fundamentals

Market Cap AYI : $8.84B PLPC : $1.34B
EPS AYI : $13.01 PLPC : $7.13
PE Ratio AYI : 21.54 PLPC : 37.98
PEG Ratio AYI : 1.74 PLPC : 6.98
PS Ratio AYI : 1.95 PLPC : 2.00
PB Ratio AYI : 3.17 PLPC : 2.81
Total Revenue (TTM) AYI : $4.54B PLPC : $669.34M
Gross Profit (TTM) AYI : $2.18B PLPC : $208.54M
EBITDA (TTM) AYI : $636.30M PLPC : $55.14M

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AYI achieves a -22.12% return, which is significantly lower than PLPC's 31.11% return. Over the past 10 years, AYI has underperformed PLPC with an annualized return of 2.62%, while PLPC has yielded a comparatively higher 23.81% annualized return.

AYI

• 1D: 2.86%
• 1M: -7.09%
• YTD: -22.12%
• 6M: -18.54%
• 1Y: 6.67%
• 3Y*: 15.61%
• 5Y*: 10.95%
• 10Y*: 2.62%

PLPC

• 1D: 2.65%
• 1M: 6.74%
• YTD: 31.11%
• 6M: 38.31%
• 1Y: 94.18%
• 3Y*: 29.00%
• 5Y*: 32.33%
• 10Y*: 23.81%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

AYI vs. PLPC — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AYI

AYI Risk / Return Rank: 46
AYI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 49
AYI Sortino Ratio Rank: 42
AYI Omega Ratio Rank: 43
AYI Calmar Ratio Rank: 48
AYI Martin Ratio Rank: 50

PLPC

PLPC Risk / Return Rank: 90
PLPC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 92
PLPC Sortino Ratio Rank: 89
PLPC Omega Ratio Rank: 86
PLPC Calmar Ratio Rank: 91
PLPC Martin Ratio Rank: 92

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

AYI vs. PLPC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) and Preformed Line Products Company (PLPC). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AYI	PLPC	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.19	2.16	-1.97
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.51	2.70	-2.19
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	1.34	-0.27
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.23	4.06	-3.83
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.66	12.18	-11.51
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AYI vs. PLPC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AYI Sharpe Ratio is 0.19, which is lower than the PLPC Sharpe Ratio of 2.16. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AYI and PLPC, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AYI	PLPC	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.19	2.16	-1.97
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.35	0.76	-0.42
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.07	0.55	-0.48
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.37	0.28	+0.09

Correlation

The correlation between AYI and PLPC is 0.28, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

AYI vs. PLPC - Dividend Comparison

AYI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.25%, less than PLPC's 0.30% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AYI Acuity Brands, Inc.	0.25%	0.19%	0.21%	0.25%	0.31%	0.25%	0.43%	0.38%	0.45%	0.30%	0.23%	0.22%
PLPC Preformed Line Products Company	0.30%	0.39%	0.63%	0.60%	0.72%	1.24%	1.17%	1.33%	1.47%	1.13%	1.38%	1.90%

Drawdowns

AYI vs. PLPC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AYI drawdown since its inception was -74.22%, which is greater than PLPC's maximum drawdown of -66.36%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AYI and PLPC.

Drawdown Indicators

	AYI	PLPC	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-74.22%	-66.36%	-7.86%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-31.52%	-22.33%	-9.19%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-34.64%	-39.35%	+4.71%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-74.22%	-59.49%	-14.73%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-25.56%	-3.44%	-22.12%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-23.16%	-24.98%	+1.82%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	10.92%	7.44%	+3.48%

Volatility

AYI vs. PLPC - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) is 10.92%, while Preformed Line Products Company (PLPC) has a volatility of 15.11%. This indicates that AYI experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than PLPC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AYI	PLPC	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.92%	15.11%	-4.19%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	24.82%	34.65%	-9.83%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	34.40%	43.84%	-9.44%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	31.51%	42.51%	-11.00%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	36.91%	43.61%	-6.70%

Financials

AYI vs. PLPC - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Acuity Brands, Inc. and Preformed Line Products Company over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

AYI - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Acuity Brands, Inc. reported a gross profit of 553.80M and revenue of 1.14B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 48.4%.

PLPC - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Preformed Line Products Company reported a gross profit of 51.62M and revenue of 173.11M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 29.8%.

AYI - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Acuity Brands, Inc. reported an operating income of 160.40M and revenue of 1.14B, resulting in an operating margin of 14.0%.

PLPC - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Preformed Line Products Company reported an operating income of 11.75M and revenue of 173.11M, resulting in an operating margin of 6.8%.

AYI - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Acuity Brands, Inc. reported a net income of 120.50M and revenue of 1.14B, resulting in a net margin of 10.5%.

PLPC - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Preformed Line Products Company reported a net income of 8.44M and revenue of 173.11M, resulting in a net margin of 4.9%.