Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEO scored 77.2, SBH scored 50.5 — AEO leads.
Compare another set
AEO
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Apparel Retail · Quality-Growth
77.2
$17.60 · $2.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
26.7
AEO leads
SBH
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
Specialty Retail · Quality-Growth
50.5
$16.11 · $1.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestSBH8.4x
Fastest growthAEO+9.2%
Strongest balance sheetAEO1.09
Highest qualitySBH74 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueSBH-54%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEO
stronger →← stronger
SBH
73
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
74
72
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
38
87
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
46
AEO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEO
SBH
$343mC
FCF
$241mC
+9.2%B
Rev
+1.1%C
1.09B
D/E
1.74C+
9.0xA
P/E
8.4xA
3.34D
PEG
0.76A-
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AEO
SBH
37% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
54% below
~-5%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-16%/yr
+49%
1-yr DCF upside
+126%
+58%
5-yr DCF upside
+118%
+71%
10-yr DCF upside
+108%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AEO
No notable signals flagged.
SBH
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
The companies
AEOAmerican Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Apparel Retail · $17.60 · beta 1.26
Why now
Apparel Retail · market cap $2.9b. Down 38% from 52-week high of $28.46 — deep drawdown territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $18.55 (implying +5% upside).
Moat
ROE 19% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 102% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Down 38% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
SBHSally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
Specialty Retail · $16.11 · beta 1.03
Why now
Specialty Retail · market cap $1.5b. 10% off the 52-week high of $17.92. PEG 0.76 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $17.00 (implying +6% upside).
Moat
ROE 22% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 125% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AEO and SBH diverge
On the headline score the gap is 26.7 points in favor of AEO. The widest single difference is Value, where AEO leads by 40.8 points.
ValueAEO 86.9 · SBH 46.1AEO +40.8
GrowthAEO 72.1 · SBH 37.7AEO +34.4
QualityAEO 73.3 · SBH 74.1level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is AEO or SBH the better stock?
AEO scores higher: AEO 77.2, SBH 50.5 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do AEO and SBH differ most?
The widest gap is value, where AEO leads by 41 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. AEO also leads growth, while quality is effectively level between them.
How are AEO and SBH scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.