COMPARE · Reviewed August 3, 2026
VLTO vs ZWS
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. VLTO scored 68.1, ZWS scored 68.7 — ZWS leads.
Compare another set
VLTO
Veralto Corporation
68.1
$96.11 · $23.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.6
ZWS leads
ZWS
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation
68.7
$52.77 · $8.8B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
VLTO
stronger →← stronger
ZWS
82
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
73
67
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
87
58
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
51
VLTO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
VLTO
ZWS
$1.0bC+
FCF
$308mC
+5.9%C+
Rev
+10.0%B
1.16C+
D/E
0.33A-
24.2xB+
P/E
32.8xB
2.43C
PEG
1.65C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
VLTO
ZWS
9% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
33% above
~8%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~14%/yr
-14%
1-yr DCF upside
-33%
-8%
5-yr DCF upside
-25%
+2%
10-yr DCF upside
-12%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
VLTO
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
- Short track record
ZWS
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
The companies
VLTOVeralto Corporation
Why now
Pollution & Treatment Controls · market cap $23.4b. 13% off the 52-week high of $110.11. 17 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $112.76 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
Net margin 17% 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 108% 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.
ZWSZurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation
Why now
Pollution & Treatment Controls · market cap $8.8b. 4% off the 52-week high of $55.00. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $58.10 (implying +10% upside).
Moat
Net margin 12% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 145% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 33x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
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.