POWL vs. AGX

Last updated Jun 3, 2026

POWL (Powell Industries, Inc.) and AGX (Argan, Inc.) are both stocks. Both are in the Industrials sector — POWL in Electrical Equipment & Parts, AGX in Engineering & Construction. Over the past 10 years, POWL returned 41.44%/yr vs 38.10%/yr for AGX. At a 0.23 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.

Performance

POWL vs. AGX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL) and Argan, Inc. (AGX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, POWL achieves a 181.68% return, which is significantly higher than AGX's 112.09% return. Over the past 10 years, POWL has outperformed AGX with an annualized return of 41.44%, while AGX has yielded a comparatively lower 38.10% annualized return.

POWL

• 1D: 3.80%
• 1M: 8.66%
• YTD: 181.68%
• 6M: 178.43%
• 1Y: 421.05%
• 3Y*: 145.60%
• 5Y*: 95.43%
• 10Y*: 41.44%

AGX

• 1D: 2.51%
• 1M: -5.57%
• YTD: 112.09%
• 6M: 85.89%
• 1Y: 217.67%
• 3Y*: 156.33%
• 5Y*: 71.91%
• 10Y*: 38.10%

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

POWL vs. AGX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
POWL Powell Industries, Inc.	181.68%	44.49%	152.21%	155.62%	24.34%	3.60%	-37.60%	101.58%	-9.92%	-24.00%
AGX Argan, Inc.	112.09%	130.61%	198.31%	30.24%	-2.01%	-11.64%	19.15%	8.62%	-14.32%	-34.26%

Correlation

The correlation between POWL and AGX is 0.42, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.42
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.43
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.41
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.39
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Aug 21, 1995	0.23

The correlation between POWL and AGX shifts across timeframes, from 0.23 (all time) to 0.43 (3 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

Fundamentals

Market Cap POWL : $10.93B AGX : $9.40B
EPS POWL : $5.12 AGX : $9.73
PE Ratio POWL : 58.43 AGX : 68.14
PEG Ratio POWL : 0.09 AGX : 1.24
PS Ratio POWL : 9.65 AGX : 9.94
PB Ratio POWL : 15.41 AGX : 20.34
Total Revenue (TTM) POWL : $1.13B AGX : $944.61M
Gross Profit (TTM) POWL : $340.78M AGX : $193.68M
EBITDA (TTM) POWL : $236.11M AGX : $134.70M

Return for Risk

POWL vs. AGX — Risk / Return Rank

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

POWL

POWL Risk / Return Rank: 98
POWL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 99
POWL Sortino Ratio Rank: 98
POWL Omega Ratio Rank: 97
POWL Calmar Ratio Rank: 99
POWL Martin Ratio Rank: 99

AGX

AGX Risk / Return Rank: 93
AGX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
AGX Sortino Ratio Rank: 92
AGX Omega Ratio Rank: 89
AGX Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
AGX Martin Ratio Rank: 96

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.

POWL vs. AGX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL) and Argan, Inc. (AGX). 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.

	POWL	AGX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	7.27	2.94	+4.33
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	5.38	3.47	+1.91
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.67	1.43	+0.24
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	13.94	8.70	+5.24
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	45.01	23.06	+21.95
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

POWL vs. AGX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current POWL Sharpe Ratio is 7.27, which is higher than the AGX Sharpe Ratio of 2.94. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of POWL and AGX, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	POWL	AGX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	7.27	2.94	+4.33
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.50	1.43	+0.07
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.76	0.83	-0.07
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.29	0.05	+0.23

Drawdowns

POWL vs. AGX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum POWL drawdown since its inception was -73.10%, smaller than the maximum AGX drawdown of -94.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for POWL and AGX.

Drawdown Indicators

	POWL	AGX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-73.10%	-94.37%	+21.27%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-30.88%	-24.96%	-5.92%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-55.76%	-43.75%	-12.01%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-55.76%	-43.75%	-12.01%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-68.85%	-54.61%	-14.24%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.10%	-10.50%	+3.40%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-36.12%	-48.37%	+12.25%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	9.56%	9.42%	+0.14%

Volatility

POWL vs. AGX - Volatility Comparison

Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL) has a higher volatility of 19.76% compared to Argan, Inc. (AGX) at 14.62%. This indicates that POWL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than AGX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	POWL	AGX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	19.76%	14.62%	+5.14%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	42.59%	55.20%	-12.61%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	58.37%	74.51%	-16.14%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	64.06%	50.60%	+13.46%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	54.67%	46.01%	+8.66%

Dividends

POWL vs. AGX - Dividend Comparison

POWL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.12%, less than AGX's 0.28% yield.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AGX Argan, Inc.	0.28%	0.52%	0.93%	2.24%	2.71%	1.94%	7.31%	2.49%	1.98%	4.44%	1.42%	2.16%
POWL Powell Industries, Inc.	0.12%	0.34%	0.48%	1.19%	2.96%	3.53%	3.53%	2.12%	4.16%	3.63%	2.67%	4.00%

Financials

POWL vs. AGX - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Powell Industries, Inc. and Argan, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

POWL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Powell Industries, Inc. reported a gross profit of 87.94M and revenue of 296.62M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 29.7%.

AGX - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Argan, Inc. reported a gross profit of 65.60M and revenue of 262.05M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 25.0%.

POWL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Powell Industries, Inc. reported an operating income of 57.58M and revenue of 296.62M, resulting in an operating margin of 19.4%.

AGX - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Argan, Inc. reported an operating income of 47.67M and revenue of 262.05M, resulting in an operating margin of 18.2%.

POWL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Powell Industries, Inc. reported a net income of 45.89M and revenue of 296.62M, resulting in a net margin of 15.5%.

AGX - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Argan, Inc. reported a net income of 49.21M and revenue of 262.05M, resulting in a net margin of 18.8%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both POWL and AGX in my portfolio?

POWL and AGX have a correlation of 0.42, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which is riskier, POWL or AGX?

POWL has higher volatility (19.76%) compared to AGX (14.62%). In terms of maximum drawdown, POWL dropped -73.10% vs AGX's -94.37%.

Which has better risk-adjusted returns?

POWL currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (7.27 vs 2.94), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.