COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
STRL vs WMS
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. STRL scored 71.1, WMS scored 72.4 — WMS leads.
Compare another set
STRL
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.
71.1
$516.81 · $15.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
1.3
WMS leads
WMS
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
72.4
$143.73 · $10.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestWMS24.5x
- Fastest growthSTRL+60.8%
- Strongest balance sheetSTRL0.24
- 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)
STRL
stronger →← stronger
WMS
84
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
81
96
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
80
45
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
58
STRL is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
STRL
WMS
$482mC
FCF
$550mC+
+60.8%A
Rev
+10.4%B
0.24A-
D/E
0.97C+
37.2xC+
P/E
24.5xB+
0.95B+
PEG
1.38B
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
STRL
WMS
141% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
21% above
~41%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~16%/yr
-68%
1-yr DCF upside
-31%
-59%
5-yr DCF upside
-18%
-41%
10-yr DCF upside
+5%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
STRL
Why this score
- Durable high returns
WMS
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
The companies
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.
WMSAdvanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
Why now
Building Products & Equipment · market cap $10.8b. 20% off the 52-week high of $179.31. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $183.36 (implying +28% upside).
Moat
Net margin 14% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 25% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 121% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
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 STRL and WMS diverge
On the headline score the gap is 1.3 points in favor of WMS. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthSTRL 96.0 · WMS 80.1STRL +15.9
- ValueSTRL 44.6 · WMS 58.5WMS +13.9
- QualitySTRL 84.1 · WMS 80.9STRL +3.2
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.