Ingersoll Rand Vs Hubbell: Which Stock Is The Better Buy

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Ingersoll Rand (IR) and Hubbell (HUBB) both sell into critical infrastructure, and both now name data centers as a growth market. The better buy depends on whether you want a company already reporting fast-rising data center sales, or one that only entered that market within the past year. Both raised their 2026 forecasts in late October. So what exactly did each company tell investors in October?

Hubbell Reported Data Center Sales, Ingersoll Rand An Order

Management said on its October 27 call that Hubbell's data center sales rose over 80% on an organic basis in fiscal Q3 2026. Hubbell then raised its 2026 sales growth forecast to 18.5% at the midpoint, up from 17% in July, citing a stronger outlook for its Electrical Solutions segment and its NSI acquisition.

For Ingersoll Rand, the news centered on an order. Management said on its October 30 call that the company booked an approximately $195 million order for mission-critical data center infrastructure late in fiscal Q3 2026. Most of that revenue will arrive in 2027, with margins on the first shipments falling below the company average.

Ingersoll Rand raised its 2026 revenue growth forecast to 6.3% at the midpoint, from 5.5% in July. The company also raised its adjusted EPS forecast, which management attributed mainly to a lower tax rate and fewer shares. Its adjusted EBITDA forecast, an operating profit measure, remained unchanged. Both forecasts exclude tariff refunds received in Q3. So Hubbell's data center business already shows up in its sales, while Ingersoll Rand's remains mostly an order waiting to be shipped.

Ingersoll Rand Carries Less Debt Than Hubbell

Hubbell's total debt equals 22.7% of its market value, against 14.4% for Ingersoll Rand. In fiscal Q3 2026, Hubbell bought most of its growth: its sales rose 11% organically, and acquisitions contributed another 13% to growth, management said. The NSI and DMC Power deals also brought higher interest expense, which held back Hubbell's adjusted EPS growth in the quarter, and management has committed to reducing debt over the next two years.

Management said Ingersoll Rand's data center work uses products the company already sells to industrial customers, and that capital spending will stay well within 2% of sales. The board also added $2 billion to the share buyback, representing about 6% of Ingersoll Rand's market value.

Hubbell Grows Faster And Keeps A Wider Margin

Over the twelve months to September 30, 2026, Hubbell's revenue grew 16.0%, against 8.0% for Ingersoll Rand. Over the three twelve-month periods ended September 30 of 2024, 2025 and 2026, Hubbell's revenue growth averaged 8.1%, against 6.4% for Ingersoll Rand.

Hubbell kept 20.2% of its sales as operating profit over the latest twelve months, against 18.9% for Ingersoll Rand. Hubbell is also the cheaper stock on sales, trading at 3.5 times against 4.2 times for Ingersoll Rand.

Ingersoll Rand trades at a lower multiple of earnings, 24.2 times against 25.7 times for Hubbell. But one quarter lifted its profit: in fiscal Q3 2026 it earned $0.67 billion of net income on $0.426 billion of operating income. Management cited a one-time tax benefit in that quarter.

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