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GNRC vs. XYL: Generac vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemGNRCXYL
NameGenerac Holdings Inc.Xylem Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryElectrical EquipmentMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryElectrical Components & EquipmentIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization10.43 billion USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 11, 2010October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC
XYL
GSPC
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
Total Return (1Y)23.38%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)23.05%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-15.31%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC
XYL
GSPC
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)59.48%30.74%
Beta (5Y)1.840.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-81.73%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.22M2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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GNRC and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.32-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.50-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 10.64% and Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 6.52% and Xylem (XYL) at 11.94% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 11.67% and Xylem (XYL) at 15.95% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
ROE (TTM)10.64%9.76%
ROA (TTM)4.24%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)6.52%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.67%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)38.18%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.02%5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.67%17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)-50.09%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-20.83%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for XYL.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 and Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.971.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.470.29
Net Debt / EBITDA1.651.18

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 Xylem (XYL) reports a yield of 1.69%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) reports a payout of 37.47%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 and Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Generac (GNRC) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricGNRCXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.8721.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.262.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.462.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.21%5.39%