Comparing Madison Air Solutions (NYSE:MAIR) and Lennox International (NYSE:LII)

Lennox International (NYSE:LII) and Madison Air Solutions (NYSE:MAIR) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, earnings, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lennox International	14.61%	66.42%	19.16%
Madison Air Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

67.1% of Lennox International shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.8% of Lennox International shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lennox International and Madison Air Solutions”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lennox International	$5.20 billion	2.53	$805.80 million	$22.12	17.16
Madison Air Solutions	$3.34 billion	3.48	$97.00 million	$83,088.31	0.00

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Lennox International and Madison Air Solutions, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lennox International	2	10	4	0	2.12
Madison Air Solutions	2	3	7	2	2.64

Lennox International currently has a consensus price target of $483.46, suggesting a potential upside of 27.33%. Madison Air Solutions has a consensus price target of $42.20, suggesting a potential upside of 82.29%. Given Madison Air Solutions’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Madison Air Solutions is more favorable than Lennox International.

Summary

Lennox International beats Madison Air Solutions on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lennox International

Lennox International Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets a range of products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The Home Comfort Solutions segment provides furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, packaged heating and cooling systems, indoor air quality equipment, comfort control products, and replacement parts and supplies; residential heating, ventilation, cooling equipment, and air conditioning; and evaporator coils and unit heaters under Lennox, Dave Lennox Signature Collection, Armstrong Air, Ducane, AirEase, Concord, MagicPak, Advanced Distributor Products, Allied, Elite Series, Merit Series, Comfort Sync, Healthy Climate, iComfort, ComfortSense, and Lennox Stores name. The Building Climate Solutions segment offers unitary heating and air conditioning equipment, applied systems, controls, installation and service of commercial heating and cooling equipment, variable refrigerant flow commercial, curb, curb adapters, drop box diffusers, HVAC recycling, and salvage service. This segment also provides condensing units, unit coolers, fluid coolers, air cooled condensers, air handlers, and refrigeration rack systems for preserving food and other perishables; and compressor racks and industrial process chillers under the Lennox, Model L, CORE, Enlight, Xion, Energence, Prodigy, Strategos, Raider, Lennox VRF, Lennox National Account Services, Allied Commercial, Elite, AES Industries, Mechanical, and Reclaim, Heatcraft Worldwide and Chandler Refrigeration, Bohn, MAGNA, Larkin, FriguaBohn, IntelliGen, and Interlink brand name. In addition, the company provides small package units, rooftop units, chillers, air handlers, and fan coils. It sells its products and services through direct sales, distributors, and company-owned parts and supplies stores. The company was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Richardson, 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.