Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. DXPE scored 62.0, CNM scored 60.0 — DXPE leads.
Compare another set
DXPE
DXP Enterprises, Inc.
Industrial Distribution · Quality-Growth
62
$180.92 · $2.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.0
DXPE leads
CNM
Core & Main, Inc.
Industrial Distribution · Quality-Growth
60
$40.35 · $7.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestCNM16.6x
Fastest growthDXPE+11.5%
Strongest balance sheetCNM1.31
Highest qualityCNM68 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueCNM-36%
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)
DXPE
stronger →← stronger
CNM
59
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
68
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
59
48
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
54
CNM is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
DXPE
CNM
$119mC
FCF
$628mC+
+11.5%B
Rev
+2.8%C
1.66C
D/E
1.31C
31.9xC+
P/E
16.6xA-
0.55A-
PEG
1.43B
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
DXPE
CNM
29% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
36% below
~16%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-3%/yr
-33%
1-yr DCF upside
+43%
-22%
5-yr DCF upside
+57%
-5%
10-yr DCF upside
+78%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
DXPE
No notable signals flagged.
CNM
Why this score
Durable high returns
The companies
DXPEDXP Enterprises, Inc.
Industrial Distribution · $180.92 · beta 1.04
Why now
Industrial Distribution · market cap $2.8b. 13% off the 52-week high of $208.00. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.55 — paying under fair value for the growth rate.
Moat
ROE 17% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 127% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Trailing P/E 32x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. Net margin 4.4% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
CNMCore & Main, Inc.
Industrial Distribution · $40.35 · beta 0.91
Why now
Industrial Distribution · market cap $7.4b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $59.66 — deep drawdown territory. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $54.54 (implying +35% upside).
Moat
ROE 24% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 137% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
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 DXPE and CNM diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.0 points in favor of DXPE. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthDXPE 83.6 · CNM 59.4DXPE +24.2
QualityDXPE 59.2 · CNM 67.7CNM +8.5
ValueDXPE 48.1 · CNM 53.6CNM +5.5
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 DXPE or CNM the better stock?
DXPE scores higher: DXPE 62.0, CNM 60.0 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 DXPE and CNM differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where DXPE leads by 24 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 DXPE and CNM 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.