Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AXTA scored 52.5, BCPC scored 52.2 — AXTA leads.
Compare another set
AXTA
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
52.5
$32.63 · $7.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.3
AXTA leads
BCPC
Balchem Corporation
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
52.2
$167.83 · $5.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestAXTA20.0x
Fastest growthBCPC+8.8%
Strongest balance sheetBCPC0.13
Highest qualityBCPC75 / 100
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)
AXTA
stronger →← stronger
BCPC
65
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
75
33
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
68
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
38
BCPC is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AXTA
BCPC
$488mC
FCF
$176mC
-2.6%D+
Rev
+8.8%B
1.19C
D/E
0.13A-
20.0xB
P/E
33.0xC
2.04C
PEG
3.26D
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
AXTA
BCPC
10% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
65% above
~8%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~19%/yr
-12%
1-yr DCF upside
-43%
-9%
5-yr DCF upside
-39%
-4%
10-yr DCF upside
-34%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AXTA
Why this score
Buying back stock
BCPC
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Cyclical growth
The companies
AXTAAxalta Coating Systems Ltd.
Specialty Chemicals · $32.63 · beta 1.26
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $7.0b. 15% off the 52-week high of $38.61. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $39.27 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 132% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
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.
BCPCBalchem Corporation
Specialty Chemicals · $167.83 · beta 0.85
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $5.4b. 9% off the 52-week high of $183.90. 4 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $209.25 (implying +25% upside).
Moat
Net margin 15% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 107% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Trailing P/E 33x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
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 AXTA and BCPC diverge
The two are effectively level on the headline score. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueAXTA 67.5 · BCPC 38.1AXTA +29.4
GrowthAXTA 33.1 · BCPC 50.0BCPC +16.9
QualityAXTA 64.6 · BCPC 74.8BCPC +10.2
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 AXTA or BCPC the better stock?
AXTA scores higher: AXTA 52.5, BCPC 52.2 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 AXTA and BCPC differ most?
The widest gap is value, where AXTA leads by 29 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 AXTA and BCPC 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.