At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestMKSI42.1x
Fastest growthMKSI+16.3%
Strongest balance sheetCGNX0.04
Highest qualityCGNX73 / 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)
CGNX
stronger →← stronger
MKSI
73
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
53
71
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
87
20
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
36
MKSI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CGNX
MKSI
$268mC
FCF
$455mC
+8.7%B
Rev
+16.3%B+
0.04A-
D/E
1.40C
60.5xC
P/E
42.1xC+
2.71C
PEG
1.32B
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
CGNX
MKSI
229% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
228% above
~39%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~45%/yr
-71%
1-yr DCF upside
-74%
-70%
5-yr DCF upside
-69%
-67%
10-yr DCF upside
-63%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Scientific & Technical Instruments · market cap $10.6b. 14% off the 52-week high of $72.88. 19 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $79.11 (implying +26% upside).
Moat
Net margin 16% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 153% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Trailing P/E 60.5x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Beta 1.48 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
Scientific & Technical Instruments · market cap $17.9b. Down 41% from 52-week high of $447.62 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. 14 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $410.86 (implying +55% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 103% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Down 41% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 2.02 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return. Trailing P/E 42x 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 CGNX and MKSI diverge
On the headline score the gap is 7.5 points in favor of MKSI. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
QualityCGNX 72.6 · MKSI 52.7CGNX +19.9
GrowthCGNX 71.2 · MKSI 86.8MKSI +15.6
ValueCGNX 20.5 · MKSI 35.9MKSI +15.4
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 MKSI or CGNX the better stock?
MKSI scores higher: MKSI 54.8, CGNX 47.3 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 MKSI and CGNX differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where CGNX leads by 20 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 MKSI and CGNX 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.