COMPARE · Reviewed August 1, 2026
EXPO vs STRL
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. EXPO scored 73.4, STRL scored 70.1 — EXPO leads.
Compare another set
EXPO
Exponent, Inc.
73.4
$66.85 · $3.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
3.3
EXPO leads
STRL
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.
70.1
$596.77 · $18.3B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
EXPO
stronger →← stronger
STRL
93
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
83
76
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
96
56
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
43
EXPO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
EXPO
STRL
$113mC
FCF
$442mC
+7.8%B
Rev
+37.0%A
0.28A-
D/E
0.29A-
30.0xB
P/E
51.8xC
2.03C
PEG
0.85B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
EXPO
STRL
25% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
196% above
~13%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~47%/yr
-29%
1-yr DCF upside
-74%
-20%
5-yr DCF upside
-66%
-5%
10-yr DCF upside
-52%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
EXPO
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
STRL
Why this score
- Durable high returns
The companies
EXPOExponent, Inc.
Why now
Engineering & Construction · market cap $3.2b. 18% off the 52-week high of $81.95. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $81.67 (implying +22% upside).
Moat
Net margin 18% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 32% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 104% 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.
STRLSterling Infrastructure, Inc.
Why now
Engineering & Construction · market cap $18.3b. Down 41% from 52-week high of $1005.68 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +37% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.85 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 6 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $946.67 (implying +59% upside).
Moat
Net margin 12% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 29% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 127% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 51.8x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. 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 1.83 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
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.