COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
IESC vs STRL
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. IESC scored 58.2, STRL scored 71.1 — STRL leads.
Compare another set
IESC
IES Holdings, Inc.
58.2
$685.04 · $27.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
12.9
STRL leads
STRL
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.
71.1
$516.81 · $15.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestSTRL37.2x
- Fastest growthSTRL+60.8%
- Strongest balance sheetIESC0.06
- Highest qualitySTRL84 / 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)
IESC
stronger →← stronger
STRL
81
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
84
91
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
96
27
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
45
STRL is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
IESC
STRL
$228mC
FCF
$482mC
+22.7%A-
Rev
+60.8%A
0.06A
D/E
0.24A-
60.8xD
P/E
37.2xC+
—
PEG
0.95B+
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
IESC
STRL
788% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
141% above
>60%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~41%/yr
-91%
1-yr DCF upside
-68%
-89%
5-yr DCF upside
-59%
-85%
10-yr DCF upside
-41%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
IESC
Why this score
- Durable high returns
STRL
Why this score
- Durable high returns
The companies
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.
STRLSterling Infrastructure, Inc.
Why now
Engineering & Construction · market cap $15.8b. Down 49% from 52-week high of $1005.68 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +61% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.95 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 6 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $905.33 (implying +75% upside).
Moat
Net margin 13% 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 112% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Down 49% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 1.89 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 37x 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 IESC and STRL diverge
On the headline score the gap is 12.9 points in favor of STRL. The widest single difference is Value, where STRL leads by 17.8 points.
- ValueIESC 26.8 · STRL 44.6STRL +17.8
- GrowthIESC 90.9 · STRL 96.0STRL +5.1
- QualityIESC 81.0 · STRL 84.1STRL +3.1
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.