Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. TLN scored 36.6, MWH scored 72.0 — MWH leads.
Compare another set
TLN
Talen Energy Corporation
Utilities - Independent Power Producers · Quality-Growth
36.6
$378.57 · $17.9B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
35.4
MWH leads
MWH
SOLV Energy, Inc.
Utilities - Renewable · Quality-Growth
72
$26.21 · $5.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthTLN+108.9%
Strongest balance sheetMWH0.10
Highest qualityMWH74 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueMWH-23%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
TLN
stronger →← stronger
MWH
28
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
74
68
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
95
26
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
75
MWH is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
TLN
MWH
$568mC+
FCF
$295mC
+108.9%A
Rev
+34.8%A
5.84D
D/E
0.10A
4.6xC
P/S
—
—
PEG
1.65C+
—
P/E
55.8xD
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
TLN
MWH
104% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
23% below
~35%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~9%/yr
-62%
1-yr DCF upside
-1%
-51%
5-yr DCF upside
+29%
-30%
10-yr DCF upside
+90%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
TLN
Why this score
Diluting shareholders
MWH
Why this score
Short track record
The companies
TLNTalen Energy Corporation
Utilities - Independent Power Producers · $378.57 · beta 1.62
Why now
Utilities - Independent Power Producers · market cap $17.9b. 16% off the 52-week high of $449.84. Revenue growing +109% — in hypergrowth territory. 17 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $455.65 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
D/E 5.84 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Currently unprofitable (margin -4.7%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Beta 1.62 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
MWHSOLV Energy, Inc.
Utilities - Renewable · $26.21
Why now
Utilities - Renewable · market cap $5.3b. Down 46% from 52-week high of $48.40 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +35% — in hypergrowth territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $43.73 (implying +67% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($96m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
Trailing P/E 55.8x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Down 46% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Net margin 3.8% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
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 TLN and MWH diverge
On the headline score the gap is 35.4 points in favor of MWH. The widest single difference is Value, where MWH leads by 48.8 points.
ValueTLN 26.1 · MWH 74.9MWH +48.8
QualityTLN 27.6 · MWH 74.2MWH +46.6
GrowthTLN 68.1 · MWH 95.4MWH +27.3
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 MWH or TLN the better stock?
MWH scores higher: MWH 72.0, TLN 36.6 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 MWH and TLN differ most?
The widest gap is value, where MWH leads by 49 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. MWH leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are MWH and TLN 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.