Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. APA scored 60.4, EXE scored 64.9 — EXE leads.
Compare another set
APA
APA Corporation
Oil & Gas E&P · Quality-Growth
60.4
$45.88 · $16.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
4.5
EXE leads
EXE
Expand Energy Corporation
Oil & Gas E&P · Quality-Growth
64.9
$88.22 · $20.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestEXE7.6x
Fastest growthEXE+188.8%
Strongest balance sheetEXE0.19
Highest qualityAPA87 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueEXE-49%
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)
APA
stronger →← stronger
EXE
87
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
76
43
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
59
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
72
EXE is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
APA
EXE
$2.1bB
FCF
$2.5bB
-8.4%D
Rev
+188.8%A
0.49B
D/E
0.19A-
9.7xA-
P/E
7.6xA-
1.23B
PEG
0.82B+
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
APA
EXE
37% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
49% below
~-12%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-10%/yr
+77%
1-yr DCF upside
+87%
+58%
5-yr DCF upside
+97%
+35%
10-yr DCF upside
+112%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
APA
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
EXE
Why this score
Buying back stock
Cut its dividend
Cyclical growth
The companies
APAAPA Corporation
Oil & Gas E&P · $45.88 · beta 0.42
Why now
Oil & Gas E&P · market cap $16.1b. 3% off the 52-week high of $47.44. Revenue -8% — in contraction; any catalyst that reverses this triggers re-rating. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $46.40 (implying +1% upside).
Moat
Net margin 20% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 24% 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
Revenue contracting -8% — the operational turn is not yet visible in the top line. Reserve-replacement treadmill — every barrel or ounce extracted has to be replaced through exploration or acquisition; underspending on replacement reserves shows up in production declines 2-3 years out.
EXEExpand Energy Corporation
Oil & Gas E&P · $88.22 · beta 0.40
Why now
Oil & Gas E&P · market cap $20.4b. Down 30% from 52-week high of $126.62 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +189% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.82 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 27 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $123.22 (implying +40% upside).
Moat
Net margin 22% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 15% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Down 30% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Reserve-replacement treadmill — every barrel or ounce extracted has to be replaced through exploration or acquisition; underspending on replacement reserves shows up in production declines 2-3 years out.
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 APA and EXE diverge
On the headline score the gap is 4.5 points in favor of EXE. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueAPA 59.0 · EXE 72.1EXE +13.1
QualityAPA 86.9 · EXE 75.7APA +11.2
GrowthAPA 43.0 · EXE 50.0EXE +7.0
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 EXE or APA the better stock?
EXE scores higher: EXE 64.9, APA 60.4 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 EXE and APA differ most?
The widest gap is value, where EXE leads by 13 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are EXE and APA 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.