GNRC vs. WAB: Generac vs. Wabtec Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB) 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 Wabtec (WAB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GNRC is classified in Electrical Equipment while WAB is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Profile Item	GNRC	WAB
Name	Generac Holdings Inc.	Wabtec Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment
Market Capitalization	10.43 billion USD	47.59 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 11, 2010	June 16, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC

WAB

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB), 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

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Trailing total returns for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
Total Return (1Y)	23.38%	44.64%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.05%	39.37%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-15.31%	25.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC

WAB

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB), 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

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	59.48%	27.53%
Beta (5Y)	1.84	0.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-81.73%	-23.55%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.22M	890.96K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GNRC and WAB 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 Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	1.47
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.50	2.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 10.64% and Wabtec (WAB) at 12.24% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

12.24%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
WAB: 12.24%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 6.52% and Wabtec (WAB) at 11.20% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

11.20%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
WAB: 11.20%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Wabtec (WAB) at 20.22% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Generac (GNRC) at 11.67%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

20.22%

Max: 36.60%
WAB: 20.22%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
ROE (TTM)	10.64%	12.24%
ROA (TTM)	4.24%	6.28%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.52%	11.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.67%	20.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.18%	36.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Wabtec (WAB) at 7.51% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Wabtec (WAB) at 13.08% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-2.02%	7.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.67%	10.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-50.09%	13.08%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-20.83%	25.44%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Wabtec (WAB) at 1.10 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WAB.

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

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

1.10

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
WAB: 1.10
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 and Wabtec (WAB) at 0.60 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

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

0.60

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
WAB: 0.60
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB): 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 Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.97	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.47	0.60
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	2.28

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Wabtec (WAB) reports a yield of 0.42%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

0.42%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
WAB: 0.42%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB): 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 Wabtec (WAB) reports a payout of 14.66%, 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%

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

14.66%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
WAB: 14.66%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.42%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	14.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 and Wabtec (WAB) at 35.23 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

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

35.23

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
WAB: 35.23
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Generac (GNRC) vs. Wabtec (WAB): 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 Wabtec (WAB) at 3.90 sits in the pricier quartile — WAB 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

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

3.90

Max: 7.54
WAB: 3.90
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 and Wabtec (WAB) at 4.20 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

WAB

Capital Goods industry group

4.20

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
WAB: 4.20
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Wabtec (WAB)
Metric	GNRC	WAB
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.87	35.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	3.90
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.46	4.20
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.21%	2.60%