Critical Analysis: Madison Air Solutions (NYSE:MAIR) vs. AZZ (NYSE:AZZ)

AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) and Madison Air Solutions (NYSE:MAIR) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for AZZ and Madison Air Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AZZ	0	2	4	0	2.67
Madison Air Solutions	0	5	7	2	2.79

AZZ presently has a consensus target price of $155.25, indicating a potential upside of 11.05%. Madison Air Solutions has a consensus target price of $44.00, indicating a potential upside of 68.45%. Given Madison Air Solutions’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Madison Air Solutions is more favorable than AZZ.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

90.9% of AZZ shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of AZZ shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares AZZ and Madison Air Solutions”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AZZ	$1.65 billion	2.55	$317.26 million	$6.56	21.31
Madison Air Solutions	$3.34 billion	3.92	$97.00 million	$83,088.31	0.00

AZZ has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Madison Air Solutions. Madison Air Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AZZ, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares AZZ and Madison Air Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AZZ	11.83%	14.18%	8.48%
Madison Air Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A

About AZZ

AZZ Inc. provides hot-dip galvanizing and coil coating solutions in North America. It offers metal finishing solutions for corrosion protection, including hot-dip galvanizing, spin galvanizing, powder coating, anodizing, and plating to steel fabrication and other industries, as well as to fabricators or manufacturers that provide services to the transmission and distribution, bridge and highway, petrochemical, and general industrial markets; and original equipment manufacturers. It also provides aesthetic and corrosion protective coatings and related value-added services for steel and aluminum coil primarily serving the construction; appliance; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; container; transportation; and other end markets. The company was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

About Madison Air Solutions

We take up to 25,000 breaths a day and spend up to 90% of our lives indoors, often breathing air that’s two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Clean air is absolutely essential to human life, yet most people rarely think about the air we breathe at home, in our schools, in healthcare facilities and in the workplace. Poor air quality doesn’t just affect comfort; it undermines health, productivity and performance. Improving air quality is a fundamental principle that is a key tenet in everything we do. At Madison Air, we see air differently. Our mission is to make the world safer, healthier and more productive through the power of better air. We’ve built a business that transforms air into tangible outcomes for customers, creating the potential for long-term growth opportunities for investors. We believe Madison Air is a leader in the mission-critical indoor air solutions market, powered by differentiated advanced technologies that deliver superior air quality and tangible results: higher productivity, lower energy costs and improved operational performance in the most demanding environments. From protecting uptime in a data center with Nortek Data Center Cooling, to purifying air in a semiconductor fabrication facility with Nortek Air Solutions, to keeping families safer with AprilAire’s Healthy Air System and improving workplace productivity, health and retention with Big Ass Fans – better air delivers better outcomes. That’s the Madison Air advantage. We believe our sustainable growth is powered by our resilient, diversified model spanning both Commercial and Residential markets. For the year ended December 31, 2025, Madison Air generated $3.3 billion of net sales and $124.3 million of net income, with 3.7% of net income (loss) margin, 26.7% Adjusted EBITDA Margin, 381.9% operating cash flow conversion from continuing operations, and 351.8% free cash flow (“FCF”) conversion. On a Pro Forma basis, for the year ended December 31, 2025, Madison Air generated $3.5 billion of net sales and $58.1 million of net income, with 1.7% of net income (loss) margin and 26.6% Adjusted EBITDA Margin. Adjusted EBITDA Margin and FCF conversion are non-GAAP financial measures. For the definition and a reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). Anchored by a large installed base, approximately half of net sales for the year ended December 31, 2025, came from replacement and upgrade demand and approximately 10% from aftermarket parts and services, providing stability across cycles. Our success is powered by a team of over 8,650 employees with an entrepreneurial mindset committed to innovation, precision and customer success. Our principal executive offices are located in Chicago, Illinois.