COMPARE · Reviewed August 3, 2026
CXW vs MSA
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CXW scored 50.6, MSA scored 76.5 — MSA leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. MSA's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but CXW's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
CXW
CoreCivic, Inc.
50.6
$30.20 · $3.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
25.9
MSA leads
MSA
MSA Safety Incorporated
76.5
$192.17 · $7.4B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CXW
stronger →← stronger
MSA
47
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
81
76
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
73
36
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
76
MSA is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CXW
MSA
$26mC-
FCF
$354mC
+12.7%B+
Rev
+6.5%C+
1.02C+
D/E
0.46B+
24.2xB+
P/E
23.9xB+
1.06B+
PEG
0.99B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CXW
MSA
227% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
21% above
~45%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~10%/yr
-77%
1-yr DCF upside
-23%
-69%
5-yr DCF upside
-17%
-53%
10-yr DCF upside
-9%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CXW
Why this score
- Buying back stock
MSA
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
CXWCoreCivic, Inc.
Why now
Security & Protection Services · market cap $3.0b. 8% off the 52-week high of $32.69. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $36.40 (implying +21% upside).
Moat
Moat signals from the quantitative card are modest — profitability and capital efficiency are middle-of-pack. The thesis here depends on softer factors (switching costs, brand, distribution, regulatory protection) not captured by the quality-growth screen.
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.
MSAMSA Safety Incorporated
Why now
Security & Protection Services · market cap $7.4b. 8% off the 52-week high of $208.92. PEG 0.99 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $206.86 (implying +8% 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 22% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 113% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
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.