GNRC vs. ROK: Generac vs. Rockwell Automation Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK) are both classified in the Electrical Components & Equipment sub-industry within the broader Electrical Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Profile Item	GNRC	ROK
Name	Generac Holdings Inc.	Rockwell Automation Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Electrical Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Electrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization	10.43 billion USD	41.82 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 11, 2010	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC

ROK

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
Total Return (1Y)	23.38%	6.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.05%	16.94%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-15.31%	4.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC

ROK

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	59.48%	34.28%
Beta (5Y)	1.84	1.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-81.73%	-45.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.22M	799.28K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GNRC and ROK are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.50	0.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 38.73% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Generac (GNRC) at 10.64% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ROK.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
GNRC: 10.64%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

38.73%

Max: 40.55%
ROK: 38.73%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 15.68% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Generac (GNRC) at 6.52%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
GNRC: 6.52%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

15.68%

Max: 27.47%
ROK: 15.68%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 11.67% and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 14.75% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
GNRC: 11.67%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

14.75%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
ROK: 14.75%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
ROE (TTM)	10.64%	38.73%
ROA (TTM)	4.24%	9.32%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.52%	15.68%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.67%	14.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.18%	48.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Generac (GNRC) reports revenue growth of -2.02%, ranked against its industry; Rockwell Automation (ROK) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 63.49% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-2.02%	--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.67%	--
EPS Growth (YoY)	-50.09%	63.49%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-20.83%	1.62%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 2.11 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
GNRC: 1.97
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

2.11

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
ROK: 2.11
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 1.00 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
GNRC: 0.47
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

1.00

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
ROK: 1.00
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.97	2.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.47	1.00
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	1.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Generac (GNRC) nor Rockwell Automation (ROK) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
ROK: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Rockwell Automation (ROK) reports a payout of 51.03%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

51.03%

Max: 67.39%
ROK: 51.03%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	51.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 and Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 29.97 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
GNRC: 34.87
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

29.97

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
ROK: 29.97
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 4.65 sits in the pricier quartile — ROK costs more per dollar of sales.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
GNRC: 2.26
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

4.65

Max: 7.54
ROK: 4.65
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Rockwell Automation (ROK) at 11.76 prices above its benchmark range — ROK looks rich relative to book.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
GNRC: 3.46
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

ROK

Capital Goods industry group

11.76

ROK: 11.76
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Generac (GNRC) vs. Rockwell Automation (ROK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Rockwell Automation (ROK)
Metric	GNRC	ROK
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.87	29.97
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	4.65
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.46	11.76
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.21%	-1.13%