Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. MTH scored 30.7, IBP scored 42.9 — IBP leads.
Compare another set
MTH
Meritage Homes Corporation
Residential Construction · Quality-Growth
30.7
$58.81 · $3.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
12.2
IBP leads
IBP
Installed Building Products, Inc.
Residential Construction · Quality-Growth
42.9
$185.44 · $4.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestMTH12.6x
Fastest growthIBP+1.0%
Strongest balance sheetMTH0.38
Highest qualityIBP77 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueMTH-4%
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)
MTH
stronger →← stronger
IBP
62
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
77
19
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
30
25
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
34
IBP is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
MTH
IBP
$415mC
FCF
$292mC
-8.3%D
Rev
+1.0%C
0.38A-
D/E
1.87C+
12.6xA-
P/E
20.0xB
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
MTH
IBP
4% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
90% above
~-2%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~19%/yr
+16%
1-yr DCF upside
-45%
+4%
5-yr DCF upside
-47%
-10%
10-yr DCF upside
-50%
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
MTH
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
IBP
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
Durable high returns
The companies
MTHMeritage Homes Corporation
Residential Construction · $58.81 · beta 1.34
Why now
Residential Construction · market cap $3.8b. Down 31% from 52-week high of $85.38 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue -8% — in contraction; any catalyst that reverses this triggers re-rating. 9 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $77.56 (implying +32% upside).
Moat
FCF converts 126% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Revenue contracting -8% — the operational turn is not yet visible in the top line. Down 31% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. 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.
IBPInstalled Building Products, Inc.
Residential Construction · $185.44 · beta 1.72
Why now
Residential Construction · market cap $4.9b. Down 47% from 52-week high of $349.00 — deep drawdown territory. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $230.08 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
ROE 38% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 116% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Down 47% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 1.72 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 MTH and IBP diverge
On the headline score the gap is 12.2 points in favor of IBP. The widest single difference is Quality, where IBP leads by 15.0 points.
QualityMTH 61.9 · IBP 76.9IBP +15.0
GrowthMTH 18.8 · IBP 29.7IBP +10.9
ValueMTH 24.8 · IBP 34.5IBP +9.7
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 IBP or MTH the better stock?
IBP scores higher: IBP 42.9, MTH 30.7 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 IBP and MTH differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where IBP leads by 15 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. IBP leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are IBP and MTH 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.