Acuity Brands vs Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation reported revenue of $8.3 billion in fiscal 2025, 1.8 times Acuity Brands' $4.6 billion in fiscal 2026. Acuity Brands' revenue grew 6.8% in its latest year, and Rockwell Automation's grew 0.9%. Acuity Brands had an operating margin of 15.4%, against 20.4% at Rockwell Automation. Free cash flow was $748 million at Acuity Brands and $1.4 billion at Rockwell Automation. Their fiscal years end in different months (August 31 and September 30), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Acuity Brands | Rockwell Automation | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2026, Aug 31, 2026 | FY2025, Sep 30, 2025 |
| Revenue | $4.6B | $8.3B |
| Revenue growth | 6.8% | 0.9% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 6.0% | 5.7% |
| Gross margin | 50.6% | 48.1% |
| Operating margin | 15.4% | 20.4% |
| Net margin | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| Free cash flow | $748M | $1.4B |
| Free cash flow margin | 16.1% | 16.3% |
| Return on capital | 17.9% | 20.9% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 0.1x | 1.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $311M | $1.0B |
| Change in diluted share count | −1.6% | −1.2% |
| Last close | $318.72 | $429.89 |
| P/E at the last close | 18.7× | 40.3× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | bought $362,815, sold $4.9 million | sold $64.8 million |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 of 9 | 8 of 9 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Acuity BrandsRockwell Automation
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Acuity BrandsRockwell Automation
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Acuity BrandsRockwell Automation
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Acuity Brands and Rockwell Automation pages.