COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
APLD vs EXLS
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. APLD scored 30.5, EXLS scored 81.8 — EXLS leads.
Compare another set
APLD
Applied Digital Corporation
30.5
$27.21 · $7.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
51.3
EXLS leads
EXLS
ExlService Holdings, Inc.
81.8
$37.53 · $5.7B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthAPLD+167.5%
- Strongest balance sheetEXLS0.57
- Highest qualityEXLS85 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueEXLS-13%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
APLD
stronger →← stronger
EXLS
13
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
85
100
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
88
22
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
73
EXLS is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
APLD
EXLS
-$2.8bF
FCF
$297mC
+167.5%A
Rev
+13.4%B+
1.36C
D/E
0.57C+
12.7xC
P/S
—
1.83C+
PEG
1.10B+
—
P/E
23.8xB+
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
APLD
EXLS
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
13% below
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~5%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
+1%
—
5-yr DCF upside
+15%
—
10-yr DCF upside
+41%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
APLD
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
EXLS
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
The companies
APLDApplied Digital Corporation
Why now
Information Technology Services · market cap $7.7b. Down 46% from 52-week high of $50.73 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +167% — in hypergrowth territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $74.23 (implying +173% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$2.8b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Currently unprofitable (margin -30.2%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. 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.
EXLSExlService Holdings, Inc.
Why now
Information Technology Services · market cap $5.7b. 17% off the 52-week high of $45.08. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $44.38 (implying +18% upside).
Moat
ROE 32% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 118% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
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 APLD and EXLS diverge
On the headline score the gap is 51.3 points in favor of EXLS. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityAPLD 12.9 · EXLS 85.0EXLS +72.1
- ValueAPLD 22.0 · EXLS 72.9EXLS +50.9
- GrowthAPLD 100.0 · EXLS 88.2APLD +11.8
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a 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.