COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
EXPO vs IESC
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. EXPO scored 73.7, IESC scored 58.2 — EXPO leads.
Compare another set
EXPO
Exponent, Inc.
73.7
$70.21 · $3.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
15.5
EXPO leads
IESC
IES Holdings, Inc.
58.2
$685.04 · $27.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestEXPO31.5x
- Fastest growthIESC+22.7%
- Strongest balance sheetIESC0.06
- Highest qualityEXPO92 / 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)
EXPO
stronger →← stronger
IESC
92
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
81
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
91
52
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
27
EXPO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
EXPO
IESC
$109mC
FCF
$228mC
+12.8%B+
Rev
+22.7%A-
0.28A-
D/E
0.06A
31.5xB
P/E
60.8xD
2.03C
PEG
—
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
EXPO
IESC
25% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
788% above
~14%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
>60%/yr
-30%
1-yr DCF upside
-91%
-20%
5-yr DCF upside
-89%
-2%
10-yr DCF upside
-85%
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
IESC
Why this score
- Durable high returns
The companies
EXPOExponent, Inc.
Why now
Engineering & Construction · market cap $3.3b. 14% off the 52-week high of $81.95. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $84.00 (implying +20% 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 39% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 97% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 31x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
IESCIES Holdings, Inc.
Why now
Engineering & Construction · market cap $27.3b. Trading near 52-week high of $697.98 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety. Revenue growing +23%, comfortably above the S&P median.
Moat
ROE 37% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Trailing P/E 60.8x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Trading within 2% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction. Beta 1.82 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.
Where EXPO and IESC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 15.5 points in favor of EXPO. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueEXPO 51.7 · IESC 26.8EXPO +24.9
- QualityEXPO 92.3 · IESC 81.0EXPO +11.3
- GrowthEXPO 84.0 · IESC 90.9IESC +6.9
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a 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.