Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AES scored 49.9, MWH scored 72.0 — MWH leads.
Compare another set
AES
The AES Corporation
Utilities - Diversified · Quality-Growth
49.9
$14.94 · $10.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
22.1
MWH leads
MWH
SOLV Energy, Inc.
Utilities - Renewable · Quality-Growth
72
$26.21 · $5.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthMWH+34.8%
Strongest balance sheetMWH0.10
Highest qualityMWH74 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueMWH-23%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AES
stronger →← stronger
MWH
65
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
74
25
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
95
75
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
75
MWH is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AES
MWH
-$1.7bF
FCF
$295mC
-0.4%D+
Rev
+34.8%A
2.57C
D/E
0.10A
0.8xA
P/S
—
0.81B+
PEG
1.65C+
—
P/E
55.8xD
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
AES
MWH
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
23% below
—
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~9%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-1%
—
5-yr DCF upside
+29%
—
10-yr DCF upside
+90%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AES
Why this score
Durable high returns
MWH
Why this score
Short track record
The companies
AESThe AES Corporation
Utilities - Diversified · $14.94 · beta 0.95
Why now
Utilities - Diversified · market cap $10.7b. 15% off the 52-week high of $17.65. PEG 0.81 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $15.00 (implying +0% upside).
Moat
Net margin 14% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent.
Risk
D/E 2.57 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Free cash flow is negative (-$1.7b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
MWHSOLV Energy, Inc.
Utilities - Renewable · $26.21
Why now
Utilities - Renewable · market cap $5.3b. Down 46% from 52-week high of $48.40 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +35% — in hypergrowth territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $43.73 (implying +67% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($96m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
Trailing P/E 55.8x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Down 46% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Net margin 3.8% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
MWH leads AES by 7.2 points (72.0 to 64.8), its sharpest advantage coming in D/E (grade A). A contrarian could still prefer AES for its stronger PEG (grade B+). Note they play different roles — AES screens as spec, MWH screens as growth — so the model rewards different traits for each.
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
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 AES and MWH diverge
On the headline score the gap is 22.1 points in favor of MWH. The widest single difference is Growth, where MWH leads by 70.0 points.
GrowthAES 25.4 · MWH 95.4MWH +70.0
QualityAES 65.4 · MWH 74.2MWH +8.8
ValueAES 75.0 · MWH 74.9level
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 MWH or AES the better stock?
MWH scores higher: MWH 72.0, AES 49.9 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 MWH and AES differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where MWH leads by 70 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. MWH also leads quality, while value is effectively level between them.
How are MWH and AES 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.