Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. MAA scored 67.0, IRT scored 72.0 — IRT leads.
Compare another set
MAA
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.
REIT - Residential · Financial strength
65.6Fin
$116.45 · $13.9B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
6.9
IRT leads
IRT
Independence Realty Trust, Inc.
REIT - Residential · Financial strength
72.5Fin
$14.85 · $3.6B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthIRT+2.8%
Strongest balance sheetIRT0.70
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Fundamentals, head-to-head
MAA
IRT
5.2%A-
Yield
4.9%B+
+0.8%C
Rev
+2.8%C
1.02B
D/E
0.70B+
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.
The companies
MAAMid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.
REIT - Residential · $116.45 · beta 0.73
Why now
REIT - Residential · market cap $13.9b. 19% off the 52-week high of $144.41. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $141.40 (implying +21% 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.
Risk
Dividend payout 178% of earnings on a 5.2% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. ROE 7% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
IRTIndependence Realty Trust, Inc.
REIT - Residential · $14.85 · beta 0.98
Why now
REIT - Residential · market cap $3.6b. 17% off the 52-week high of $17.79. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $19.27 (implying +30% 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
Dividend payout 383% of earnings on a 4.9% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. ROE 1% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
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.
Common questions
Is IRT or MAA the better stock?
IRT scores higher: IRT 72.0, MAA 67.0 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.
How are IRT and MAA 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.