Sifting through countless of stocks in the Machinery industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Pentair plc, Trinity Industries or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc.

Pentair plc provides various water solutions in the United States, Western Europe, China, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Flow, Water Solutions, and Pool. The Flow segment designs, manufactures, and sells fluid treatment and pump products and systems, including pressure vessels, gas recovery solutions, membrane bioreactors, wastewater reuse systems and advanced membrane filtration, separation systems, specialty insertion valves, water disposal pumps, water supply pumps, fluid transfer pumps, turbine pumps, solid handling pumps, and agricultural spray nozzles. This segment provides products under Pentair Flow, Aurora, Berkeley, Codeline, Fairbanks-Nijhuis, Haffmans, Hydromatic, Hypro, Jung Pumpen, Myers, Sta-Rite, Shurflo, Südmo, and X-Flow brand names. The Water Solutions segment offers commercial and residential water treatment products and systems, such as pressure tanks, control valves, activated carbon products, commercial ice machines, conventional filtration products, and point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment systems for use in water filtration and water softening solutions, as well as commercial water management and filtration solutions in foodservice operations; and installation and preventative services for water management solutions for commercial operators under the Pentair Water Solutions, Everpure, Fleck, Manitowoc Ice, Pentek, and RainSoft brands. The Pool segment provides residential and commercial pool equipment and accessories, including pumps, filters, heaters, lights, automatic controls and cleaners, chlorinators, maintenance equipment, and pool accessories for residential and commercial pool maintenance, pool repair, renovation, service, construction, and aquaculture solutions. This segment offers products under the Pentair Pool, Kreepy Krauly, Pleatco, and Sta-Rite brands. Pentair plc was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Trinity Industries, Inc. provides railcar products and services under the TrinityRail trade name in North America. The company operates in two segments, Railcar Leasing and Services Group, and Rail Products Group. The Railcar Leasing and Services Group segment leases freight and tank railcars; originates and manages railcar leases for third-party investors; and provides fleet leasing, management, and administrative services, as well as railcar maintenance and modification services, and other railcar logistics products and services. As of December 31, 2025, it had a fleet of 101,485 railcars. This segment serves industrial shipper and railroad companies operating in refined products and chemicals, energy, agriculture, construction and metals, and consumer products. The Rail Products Group segment manufactures freight and tank railcars for transporting various liquids, gases, and dry cargo; and manufactures and sells railcars and related parts and components. This segment serves railroads, leasing companies, and industrial shippers of products in the refined products and chemicals, energy, agriculture, construction and metals, and consumer products markets. It sells or leases products and services through its own sales personnel and independent sales representatives. The company was incorporated in 1933 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Latest Machinery and Pentair plc, Trinity Industries, Inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Pentair plc had a $10.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $3.9 million. Pentair plc’s stock is down 37.2% in 2026, up 4.1% in the previous five trading days and down 35.4% in the past year.

Currently, Pentair plc’s price-earnings ratio is 16.9. Pentair plc’s trailing 12-month revenue is $4.0 billion with a 16.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -17.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.647 per share for the current fiscal year. Pentair plc currently has a 1.7% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Trinity Industries, Inc. had a $2.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 57th percentile of all stocks. Trinity Industries, Inc.’s stock is up 18.2% in 2026, down 16.5% in the previous five trading days and up 25.06% in the past year.

Currently, Trinity Industries, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 9.8. Trinity Industries, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $2.1 billion with a 16.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -16.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.225 per share for the current fiscal year. Trinity Industries, Inc. currently has a 4.0% dividend yield.

How We Compare Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Pentair plc	PNR	B
Trinity Industries, Inc.	TRN	D

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Pentair plc has a Growth Score of 77, which is Strong. Trinity Industries, Inc. has a Growth Score of 30, which is Weak.

The Growth Grade Winner: Pentair plc

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Pentair plc has a more attractive growth grade than Trinity Industries, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Pentair plc could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Pentair plc	PNR	A
Trinity Industries, Inc.	TRN	B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Pentair plc has a Quality Score of 91, which is Very Strong. Trinity Industries, Inc. has a Quality Score of 74, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Pentair plc

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Pentair plc has a better overall quality grade than Trinity Industries, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Pentair plc could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Pentair plc	PNR	C
Trinity Industries, Inc.	TRN	D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Pentair plc has a Earnings Estimate Score of 42, which is Neutral. Trinity Industries, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 22, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Pentair plc, Trinity Industries or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Pentair plc, Trinity Industries or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc. Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Growth and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Pentair plc, Trinity Industries or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Pentair plc stock has a Growth Score of 77, Estimate Revisions Score of 42 and Quality Score of 91.

Trinity Industries, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 30, Estimate Revisions Score of 22 and Quality Score of 74.

Comparing Pentair plc, Trinity Industries and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.