AYI vs. WSM

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM).

Performance

AYI vs. WSM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AYI vs. WSM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
AYI Acuity Brands, Inc.	-20.24%	23.53%	42.95%	24.06%	-21.55%	75.42%	-11.79%	20.54%	-34.44%	-23.55%
WSM Williams-Sonoma, Inc.	1.32%	-2.09%	86.56%	80.24%	-30.49%	68.60%	42.38%	50.07%	0.61%	10.20%

Fundamentals

Market Cap AYI : $9.06B WSM : $21.82B
EPS AYI : $13.01 WSM : $8.84
PE Ratio AYI : 22.06 WSM : 20.41
PEG Ratio AYI : 1.78 WSM : 4.13
PS Ratio AYI : 2.00 WSM : 2.85
PB Ratio AYI : 3.24 WSM : 10.48
Total Revenue (TTM) AYI : $4.54B WSM : $7.81B
Gross Profit (TTM) AYI : $2.18B WSM : $3.60B
EBITDA (TTM) AYI : $636.30M WSM : $1.55B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AYI achieves a -20.24% return, which is significantly lower than WSM's 1.32% return. Over the past 10 years, AYI has underperformed WSM with an annualized return of 2.87%, while WSM has yielded a comparatively higher 23.64% annualized return.

AYI

• 1D: 2.41%
• 1M: -2.93%
• YTD: -20.24%
• 6M: -20.85%
• 1Y: 9.11%
• 3Y*: 16.53%
• 5Y*: 11.48%
• 10Y*: 2.87%

WSM

• 1D: -1.07%
• 1M: -10.42%
• YTD: 1.32%
• 6M: -7.03%
• 1Y: 15.29%
• 3Y*: 46.29%
• 5Y*: 16.84%
• 10Y*: 23.64%

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

Return for Risk

AYI vs. WSM — Risk / Return Rank

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

AYI

AYI Risk / Return Rank: 47
AYI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 50
AYI Sortino Ratio Rank: 43
AYI Omega Ratio Rank: 43
AYI Calmar Ratio Rank: 48
AYI Martin Ratio Rank: 50

WSM

WSM Risk / Return Rank: 54
WSM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 54
WSM Sortino Ratio Rank: 50
WSM Omega Ratio Rank: 49
WSM Calmar Ratio Rank: 58
WSM Martin Ratio Rank: 58

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. WSM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM). 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	WSM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.27	0.38	-0.11
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.60	0.82	-0.22
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.08	1.10	-0.02
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.29	0.77	-0.48
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.84	1.73	-0.90
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. WSM - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AYI Sharpe Ratio is 0.27, which is comparable to the WSM Sharpe Ratio of 0.38. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AYI and WSM, 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	WSM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.27	0.38	-0.11
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.37	0.38	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.08	0.54	-0.46
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.37	0.33	+0.04

Correlation

The correlation between AYI and WSM is 0.41, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

AYI vs. WSM - Dividend Comparison

AYI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.25%, less than WSM's 1.46% 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%
WSM Williams-Sonoma, Inc.	1.46%	1.43%	1.16%	1.72%	2.65%	1.43%	1.93%	2.55%	3.33%	2.98%	3.02%	2.36%

Drawdowns

AYI vs. WSM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AYI drawdown since its inception was -74.22%, smaller than the maximum WSM drawdown of -89.01%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AYI and WSM.

Drawdown Indicators

	AYI	WSM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-74.22%	-89.01%	+14.79%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-31.52%	-20.56%	-10.96%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-34.64%	-51.92%	+17.28%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-74.22%	-59.71%	-14.51%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-23.77%	-18.26%	-5.51%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-23.16%	-25.10%	+1.94%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	11.02%	9.15%	+1.87%

Volatility

AYI vs. WSM - Volatility Comparison

Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI) has a higher volatility of 9.98% compared to Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM) at 8.55%. This indicates that AYI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than WSM based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AYI	WSM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	9.98%	8.55%	+1.43%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	24.89%	23.85%	+1.04%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	34.48%	40.82%	-6.34%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	31.51%	44.73%	-13.22%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	36.91%	44.19%	-7.28%

Financials

AYI vs. WSM - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Acuity Brands, Inc. and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 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%.

WSM - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. reported a gross profit of 1.10B and revenue of 2.36B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 46.9%.

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%.

WSM - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. reported an operating income of 477.81M and revenue of 2.36B, resulting in an operating margin of 20.3%.

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%.

WSM - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. reported a net income of 368.02M and revenue of 2.36B, resulting in a net margin of 15.6%.