Is AOS or POWL cheaper?

On trailing earnings, AOS is cheaper: AOS trades at a 16.53 P/E and POWL at 51.76.

Which has grown faster, AOS or POWL?

Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — AOS at a 4.72% CAGR versus POWL at 19.84%.

Does AOS or POWL pay a bigger dividend?

AOS yields 2.32% and POWL yields 0.14% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is AOS or POWL more profitable?

POWL runs the higher net margin — AOS at 13.84% versus POWL at 16.51%.

Which has been the better investment, AOS or POWL?

Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — AOS at 5.37% versus POWL at 43.68%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) vs Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL)

AOS leads on 9 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of A. O. Smith Corporation and Powell Industries, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 2, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

AOS

A. O. Smith Corporation

$8.76B

$62.72Industrials

POWL

Powell Industries, Inc.

$8.97B

$246.33Industrials

Total return — AOS vs POWL

growth of $100 · last 30y

AOS +2130.8%POWL +6091.9%POWL compounded faster

AOS POWL

AOS vs POWL: by the numbers

•POWL is the larger company ($8.97B vs $8.76B market cap).
•AOS trades at the lower earnings multiple (16.53 vs 51.76 P/E).
•POWL converts more revenue to profit (16.51% vs 13.84% net margin).
•POWL grew revenue faster over the past five years (19.84% vs 4.72% CAGR).
•AOS pays the higher dividend yield (2.32% vs 0.14%).

Which is better, AOS or POWL?

Metric tally: AOS 9 · POWL 8

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueAOS(lower P/E)

GrowthPOWL(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeAOS(higher dividend yield)

QualityPOWL(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	AOS	POWL
P/E ratio	16.53●	51.76
Forward P/E	16.42●	40.33
P/S ratio	2.27●	8.55
P/B ratio	4.61●	13.65
PEG ratio	3.01	1.03●
EV / EBITDA	11.47●	39.44
FCF yield	7.49%●	1.99%

Profitability

Metric	AOS	POWL
Gross margin	38.77%●	30.10%
Operating margin	18.55%	19.76%●
Net margin	13.84%	16.51%●
ROE	28.10%●	26.36%
ROIC	23.94%	25.41%●

Dividends

Metric	AOS	POWL
Dividend yield	2.32%●	0.14%
Payout ratio	37.31%	7.21%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	AOS	POWL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	4.72%	19.84%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	12.52%	59.98%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	3.27%	34.56%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	-0.80%	96.95%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, AOS or POWL?: It depends on your goal. value: AOS (lower P/E); growth: POWL (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: AOS (higher dividend yield); quality: POWL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, AOS leads 9 to 8.
Is AOS or POWL cheaper?: On trailing earnings, AOS is cheaper: AOS trades at a 16.53 P/E and POWL at 51.76.
Which has grown faster, AOS or POWL?: Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — AOS at a 4.72% CAGR versus POWL at 19.84%.
Does AOS or POWL pay a bigger dividend?: AOS yields 2.32% and POWL yields 0.14% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is AOS or POWL more profitable?: POWL runs the higher net margin — AOS at 13.84% versus POWL at 16.51%.
Which has been the better investment, AOS or POWL?: Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — AOS at 5.37% versus POWL at 43.68%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full AOS analysis Full POWL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

A. O. Smith P/E ratio Powell Industries P/E ratio A. O. Smith dividend yield Powell Industries dividend yield A. O. Smith ROE Powell Industries ROE A. O. Smith operating margin Powell Industries operating margin A. O. Smith revenue growth Powell Industries revenue growth A. O. Smith free cash flow Powell Industries free cash flow

A. O. Smith & Powell Industries appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Dividend Aristocrats Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest ROE Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 2, 2026.