Powell Industries Inc (POWL)
🔔 Watch stock
Powell Industries builds the switchgear that keeps refineries, power grids and, lately, AI data centers running — and it ranks no. 5 in the U.S. selection of our in-house Buffett criteria scanner (as of July 18, 2026). We read the annual reports (10-K) and quarterly reports (10-Q): a balance sheet with no drawn bank debt and $544.9 million in cash, a $1.8 billion backlog, and data center awards of more than $700 million within a few months — but also a quarter in which profit shrank despite record revenue, an oil and gas business that still carries half the revenue, and a valuation near 60 times earnings. Not investment advice — just a close look at which card in this house actually bears weight.
Appears in These Scanners
This stock currently matches 16 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.
Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. View all scanners
Basics
Performance
Valuation
Profitability
Balance Sheet & Safety
Growth
Dividend
Quality & Screener
AI Rating
ThreatenedEingestuft am 18.07.2026 gegen die Geschäftsberichte (10-K) für die Geschäftsjahre 2025 (per 30.09.2025, eingereicht 19.11.2025) und 2024 (20.11.2024) sowie die vier jüngsten Quartalsberichte (10-Q, zuletzt per 31.03.2026, eingereicht 05.05.2026). Powell verkauft keine KI — der Umsatz stammt aus maßgefertigten Schaltanlagen, Schutztechnik und Steuerungsräumen für Öl & Gas, Petrochemie, Stromversorger, Industrie und Bahnstrom. Nach der Vorrang-Regel greift „Bedroht“: Beide 10-K führen in Item 1A einen eigenen, konkret aufs Produktgeschäft bezogenen KI-Risikofaktor — Wettbewerber könnten KI in ihre Produkte integrieren und Powells bestehende Produkte und Fertigungsmethoden obsolet machen; das ist keine generische „AI may pose risks“-Floskel, sondern benennt den Obsoleszenz-Mechanismus im eigenen Markt (Automatisierungs-Nachfrage) und wird von einem zweiten Risikofaktor ergänzt, wonach die eigenen KI-Initiativen scheitern könnten. Zugleich ist KI auf der Nachfrageseite Powells größter Wachstumstreiber (kein Einstufungs-Kriterium, aber Kontext): Laut 10-Q zum 31.03.2026 gewann Powell im ersten Halbjahr des Geschäftsjahres 2026 Data-Center-Aufträge über zusammen mehr als 300 Mio. US-Dollar plus danach eine Mega-Order über mehr als 400 Mio. — die Expansion der Rechenzentren „that support cloud computing and increasing investments in artificial intelligence“ füllt das Auftragsbuch (1,8 Mrd. US-Dollar zum 31.03.2026). Einen operativen KI-Einsatz im eigenen Betrieb belegen die Filings nicht konkret (die „AI initiatives“ bleiben unspezifiziert), eine KI-Umsatzquelle existiert nicht — damit bleibt es nach dem Kriterienkatalog bei „Bedroht“ vor „Nutzt“/„Neutral“.
View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„Technological innovations may make existing products and production methods obsolete. The development or use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by our competitors or other third parties may impair our ability to compete effectively and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations."
Technologische Innovationen können bestehende Produkte und Produktionsmethoden obsolet machen. Die Entwicklung oder Nutzung Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) durch unsere Wettbewerber oder andere Dritte kann unsere Fähigkeit beeinträchtigen, wirksam zu konkurrieren, und unser Geschäft, unsere Finanzlage und unsere Ergebnisse negativ beeinflussen.
„Our competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI, including machine learning, data science and similar technologies, into their product development, product enhancement or product offerings more quickly or more successfully than us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations."
Unsere Wettbewerber oder andere Dritte könnten KI — einschließlich maschinellen Lernens, Data Science und ähnlicher Technologien — schneller oder erfolgreicher in ihre Produktentwicklung, Produktverbesserung oder ihr Produktangebot integrieren als wir, was unsere Fähigkeit beeinträchtigen könnte, wirksam zu konkurrieren, und unser Geschäft, unsere Finanzlage und unsere Ergebnisse negativ beeinflussen könnte.
„We may not be successful in our AI initiatives, which could adversely affect our business, reputation, and results of operations."
Unsere KI-Initiativen sind möglicherweise nicht erfolgreich, was unser Geschäft, unsere Reputation und unsere Ergebnisse negativ beeinflussen könnte.
„As a result of a mix of factors, we are experiencing strong growth in commercial facilities that provide for the production of various consumer goods and the expansion of data centers that support cloud computing and increasing investments in artificial intelligence."
Aufgrund mehrerer Faktoren erleben wir starkes Wachstum bei Gewerbebauten für die Produktion verschiedener Konsumgüter und bei der Expansion von Rechenzentren, die Cloud-Computing und die zunehmenden Investitionen in Künstliche Intelligenz tragen.
Filings Reviewed: 10-Q 2026-05-05 · 10-Q 2026-02-04 · 10-Q 2025-08-06 · 10-Q 2025-05-07 · 10-K 2025-11-19 · 10-K 2024-11-20
Rated on July 18, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built
Highlighted are things our editorial team noticed: green = stands out as strong, red = deserves a closer look. No single metric is a verdict on its own — always read it in context.
Quarterly Figures
| Quarter | EPS (Earnings Per Share) | EPS YoY (%) | Sales ($M) | Sales YoY (%) | Net Margin (%) | OCF ($M) | FCF ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024: Q4 | 0.95 | 44.60 | 241 | 24.40 | 14.40 | 37 | 35 |
| 2025: Q1 | 1.27 | 38.50 | 279 | 9.20 | 16.60 | 22 | 18 |
| 2025: Q2 | 1.32 | 4.60 | 286 | -0.70 | 16.80 | 47 | 42 |
| 2025: Q3 | 1.41 | 11.80 | 298 | 8.30 | 17.30 | 61 | 59 |
| 2025: Q4 | 1.13 | 19.00 | 251 | 4.00 | 16.50 | 44 | 42 |
| 2026: Q1 | 1.26 | -1.00 | 297 | 6.50 | 15.50 | 51 | 49 |
- EPS (Earnings Per Share):
- Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
- YoY (Year over Year):
- Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
- Sales:
- All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
- Net Margin:
- What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
- OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
- The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
- FCF (Free Cash Flow):
- Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.
Assessment: Opportunities & Risks
No drawn bank borrowings, $544.9 million in cash and short-term investments (March 31, 2026, after $475.5 million as of September 30, 2025), an equity ratio near 60 percent, an Altman Z-Score near 11 — the Buffett criteria (rank 5 of the U.S. selection, as of July 18, 2026) rest on this foundation (10-K FY2025; 10-Q as of 03/31/2026).
Backlog up from $1.3 billion (09/30/2024) via $1.4 billion (09/30/2025) to $1.8 billion (03/31/2026); per the 10-Q, more than $300 million in data center awards in the first half of fiscal 2026 plus a mega order in excess of $400 million after quarter-end; the mix is balanced across utilities, oil and gas and industry.
Historically spectacular (net income up from $13.7 million to $180.7 million in three fiscal years, gross margin from 16 to 29 percent), but stalling of late: Q2 of fiscal 2026 delivered record revenue of $296.6 million yet slightly lower net income ($45.9 million after $46.3 million) on SG&A up 19 percent and R&D up 56 percent; the Piotroski F-Score is down to 4 of 9 (10-Q as of 03/31/2026; fundamental data 07/18/2026).
Oil, gas and petrochemicals accounted for about 50 percent of fiscal 2025 revenue; fixed-price contracts with material costs near 45 percent of revenue (tariff risk), capacity and skilled-labor bottlenecks from the backlog growth — and the 10-K itself warns the backlog "may not be a reliable indicator" of future earnings (Item 1A).
P/E near 60, price-sales near 10, price-book near 16, dividend yield near 0.1 percent (data as of July 18, 2026) against analyst estimates around $5 in earnings per share for fiscal 2026/2027 — the project manufacturer is priced like a software growth stock, even after trading roughly 50 percent below its 52-week high.
Zero reported insider buys against 18 sales (fundamental data, as of July 18, 2026); CEO Cope sold 4,440 shares at $241.55 on July 9, 2026 (Form 4), eight days after being granted a special RSU package of 36,000 shares as a stay incentive beyond retirement age 60 (8-K dated 07/06/2026) — key-person risk included.
Powell Industries is the rare case in which a Buffett filter and an AI boom point at the same stock: a debt-free balance sheet with half a billion in cash, a $1.8 billion order book that data center awards of more than $700 million filled within months, and a profit that has grown thirteenfold since fiscal 2022. Against that stand a quarterly profit that most recently shrank despite record revenue, an oil business as half the foundation, fixed-price and capacity risks, insiders who only sell — and a valuation near 60 times earnings on estimates that promise no profit surge. Whoever invests here is not buying yesterday's Buffett numbers but three more record years in advance. Not investment advice.
- POWL made the research list as rank 5 of our in-house Buffett criteria scanner (U.S. selection, as of July 18, 2026) — part of our series on the top 20 of that selection.
- All share and per-share figures are adjusted for the 3-for-1 split effective April 2, 2026, as retroactively presented in the quarterly report 10-Q as of March 31, 2026 (36,431,649 shares as of 05/04/2026; pre-split 12,092,083 as of 11/17/2025).
- Scanner metrics (P/E, P/S, P/B, return on equity, Piotroski, Altman-Z) use trailing twelve-month figures at the July 18, 2026 data cut-off; the ~$11.3 billion market value is plausibility-checked against 36.4 million shares outstanding and a price near $309.
- The stock was extremely volatile in the summer of 2026 (split-adjusted 52-week range ~$180–$610); the CEO's July 9 sale price ($241.55 per Form 4) and the July 18 feed price (~$309) differ accordingly — both figures are dated. Analyses are evergreen; daily prices are not a buy argument.
About the Company
Powell Industries, Inc. entwirft, entwickelt, fertigt, verkauft und wartet mit ihren Tochtergesellschaften kundenspezifische technische Anlagen und Systeme.
| Employees | 3,143 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Houston, TX |
| Website | powellind.com |
| IPO Date | 26. Mar 1990 |
| Next Earnings | 4. Aug 2026 |
Management
| Name | Title | Birth Year |
|---|---|---|
| Brett A. Cope | Chairman of the Board, President & CEO | 1968 |
| Michael W. Metcalf | Executive VP, CFO, Secretary & Principal Accounting Officer | 1968 |
| Davide Tuninetti | VP & Chief Human Resource Officer | – |
| Terry B. McKertcher | Vice President of Operations | – |
| Gary King | Director of Corporate Communications | – |
| David L. Eckenrode | Assistant Secretary & Treasurer | – |
| William Marshall Mauney Jr. | Vice President of R&D | – |
Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.
Chart
Interactive price chart (TradingView).
Data as of: July 20, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)
Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.