Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. MMM scored 38.2, VMI scored 60.2 — VMI leads.
Compare another set
MMM
3M Company
Conglomerates · Quality-Growth
38.2
$159.96 · $82.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
22.0
VMI leads
VMI
Valmont Industries, Inc.
Conglomerates · Quality-Growth
60.2
$467.81 · $9.0B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestVMI18.3x
Fastest growthVMI+3.8%
Strongest balance sheetVMI0.51
Highest qualityVMI79 / 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)
MMM
stronger →← stronger
VMI
71
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
79
43
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
57
18
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
49
VMI is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
MMM
VMI
$4.0bB
FCF
$322mC
+2.3%C
Rev
+3.8%C+
4.38D
D/E
0.51B+
28.4xB
P/E
18.3xA-
1.54C+
PEG
0.96B+
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
MMM
VMI
51% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
140% above
~13%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~27%/yr
-32%
1-yr DCF upside
-58%
-34%
5-yr DCF upside
-58%
-35%
10-yr DCF upside
-58%
These two disagree on this pair: the Value pillar ranks cheapness against sector peers, while price-vs-fair-value is an absolute read. A name can be the better value in its sector and still the dearer one on cash flows.
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
MMM
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
VMI
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
The companies
MMM3M Company
Conglomerates · $159.96 · beta 1.06
Why now
Conglomerates · market cap $82.5b. 13% off the 52-week high of $184.90. 18 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $186.15 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
FCF converts 133% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash. $82.5b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
D/E 4.38 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer.
VMIValmont Industries, Inc.
Conglomerates · $467.81 · beta 1.35
Why now
Conglomerates · market cap $9.0b. Down 20% from 52-week high of $585.71 — deep drawdown territory. PEG 0.96 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 4 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $624.50 (implying +33% upside).
Moat
ROE 29% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
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 MMM and VMI diverge
On the headline score the gap is 22.0 points in favor of VMI. The widest single difference is Value, where VMI leads by 30.2 points.
ValueMMM 18.4 · VMI 48.6VMI +30.2
GrowthMMM 42.7 · VMI 56.8VMI +14.1
QualityMMM 71.1 · VMI 78.9VMI +7.8
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 VMI or MMM the better stock?
VMI scores higher: VMI 60.2, MMM 38.2 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 VMI and MMM differ most?
The widest gap is value, where VMI leads by 30 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. VMI leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are VMI and MMM 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.