Is POWL or WAB cheaper?

On trailing earnings, WAB is cheaper: POWL trades at a 57.61 P/E and WAB at 37.51.

Which has grown faster, POWL or WAB?

Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — POWL at a 19.84% CAGR versus WAB at 9.07%.

Does POWL or WAB pay a bigger dividend?

POWL yields 0.12% and WAB yields 0.42% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is POWL or WAB more profitable?

POWL runs the higher net margin — POWL at 16.51% versus WAB at 10.52%.

Which has been the better investment, POWL or WAB?

Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — POWL at 47.08% versus WAB at 14.10%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL) vs Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (WAB)

POWL leads on 9 of 17 compared metrics, though WAB is the cheaper stock.

A side-by-side comparison of Powell Industries, Inc. and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

POWL

Powell Industries, Inc.

$10.74B

$294.75Industrials

WAB

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation

$45.00B

$265.20Industrials

Total return — POWL vs WAB

growth of $100 · last 30y

POWL +7124.3%WAB +4410.2%POWL compounded faster

POWL WAB

POWL vs WAB: by the numbers

•WAB is the larger company ($45.00B vs $10.74B market cap).
•WAB trades at the lower earnings multiple (37.51 vs 57.61 P/E).
•POWL converts more revenue to profit (16.51% vs 10.52% net margin).
•POWL grew revenue faster over the past five years (19.84% vs 9.07% CAGR).
•WAB pays the higher dividend yield (0.42% vs 0.12%).

Which is better, POWL or WAB?

Metric tally: POWL 9 · WAB 8

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueWAB(lower P/E)

GrowthPOWL(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

QualityPOWL(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	POWL	WAB
P/E ratio	57.61	37.51●
Forward P/E	44.88	24.98●
P/S ratio	9.51	3.93●
P/B ratio	15.19	4.06●
PEG ratio	1.03●	2.32
EV / EBITDA	41.17	22.29●
FCF yield	1.79%	3.63%●

Profitability

Metric	POWL	WAB
Gross margin	30.10%	33.81%●
Operating margin	19.76%●	16.10%
Net margin	16.51%●	10.52%
ROE	26.36%●	10.85%
ROIC	25.41%●	7.64%

Dividends

Metric	POWL	WAB
Dividend yield	0.12%	0.42%●
Payout ratio	7.18%	16.33%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	POWL	WAB
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	19.84%●	9.07%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	59.98%●	25.77%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	34.56%●	9.83%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	99.30%●	27.28%

Frequently asked

Which is better, POWL or WAB?: It depends on your goal. value: WAB (lower P/E); growth: POWL (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: POWL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, POWL leads 9 to 8.
Is POWL or WAB cheaper?: On trailing earnings, WAB is cheaper: POWL trades at a 57.61 P/E and WAB at 37.51.
Which has grown faster, POWL or WAB?: Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — POWL at a 19.84% CAGR versus WAB at 9.07%.
Does POWL or WAB pay a bigger dividend?: POWL yields 0.12% and WAB yields 0.42% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is POWL or WAB more profitable?: POWL runs the higher net margin — POWL at 16.51% versus WAB at 10.52%.
Which has been the better investment, POWL or WAB?: Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — POWL at 47.08% versus WAB at 14.10%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full POWL analysis Full WAB analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Powell Industries P/E ratio Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies P/E ratio Powell Industries dividend yield Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies dividend yield Powell Industries ROE Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies ROE Powell Industries operating margin Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies operating margin Powell Industries revenue growth Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies revenue growth Powell Industries free cash flow Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies free cash flow

Powell Industries & Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Best 10-Year Total Return 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 June 13, 2026.