Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. USLM scored 49.6, MLM scored 56.4 — MLM leads.
Compare another set
USLM
United States Lime & Minerals, Inc.
Building Materials · Quality-Growth
49.6
$108.58 · $3.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
6.8
MLM leads
MLM
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
Building Materials · Quality-Growth
56.4
$478.35 · $34.0B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestUSLM23.3x
Fastest growthMLM+14.8%
Strongest balance sheetUSLM0.00
Highest qualityUSLM88 / 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)
USLM
stronger →← stronger
MLM
88
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
64
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
28
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
56
USLM and MLM split the three pillars evenly.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
USLM
MLM
$92mC-
FCF
$810mC+
+7.0%C+
Rev
+14.8%B+
0.00A
D/E
0.55C+
23.3xC+
P/E
31.3xC
1.77C+
PEG
1.82C+
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
USLM
MLM
35% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
175% above
~16%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~32%/yr
-35%
1-yr DCF upside
-66%
-26%
5-yr DCF upside
-64%
-11%
10-yr DCF upside
-61%
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
USLM
Why this score
Durable high returns
Cyclical growth
MLM
Why this score
Cyclical growth
The companies
USLMUnited States Lime & Minerals, Inc.
Building Materials · $108.58 · beta 0.65
Why now
Building Materials · market cap $3.1b. Down 23% from 52-week high of $141.44 — deep drawdown territory.
Moat
Net margin 36% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 19% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Mining moat is reserve quality + extraction cost per unit — top-quartile cost producers generate cash through the commodity cycle while marginal producers burn it.
Risk
Jurisdictional + permitting risk — mining and extraction operations concentrate exposure to political stability, royalty regimes, and environmental review timelines that can stall production for years.
MLMMartin Marietta Materials, Inc.
Building Materials · $478.35 · beta 1.08
Why now
Building Materials · market cap $34.0b. Down 33% from 52-week high of $710.97 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +15%, comfortably above the S&P median. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $635.17 (implying +33% upside).
Moat
Net margin 37% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 21% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Mining moat is reserve quality + extraction cost per unit — top-quartile cost producers generate cash through the commodity cycle while marginal producers burn it.
Risk
Down 33% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Trailing P/E 31x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. Reserve-replacement treadmill — every barrel or ounce extracted has to be replaced through exploration or acquisition; underspending on replacement reserves shows up in production declines 2-3 years out.
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 USLM and MLM diverge
On the headline score the gap is 6.8 points in favor of MLM. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueUSLM 27.9 · MLM 56.3MLM +28.4
QualityUSLM 87.6 · MLM 63.6USLM +24.0
GrowthUSLM 50.0 · MLM 50.0level
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 MLM or USLM the better stock?
MLM scores higher: MLM 56.4, USLM 49.6 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 MLM and USLM differ most?
The widest gap is value, where MLM leads by 28 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are MLM and USLM 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.