Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. VMRK scored 67.0, MAA scored 67.0 — tied at the top.
Compare another set
VMRK
AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
REIT - Residential · Financial strength
81.3Fin
$61.20 · $47.4B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
15.7
VMRK leads
MAA
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.
REIT - Residential · Financial strength
65.6Fin
$115.70 · $13.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthVMRK+4.4%
Strongest balance sheetVMRK0.75
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Fundamentals, head-to-head
VMRK
MAA
4.6%B+
Yield
5.2%A-
+4.4%C+
Rev
+0.8%C
0.75B+
D/E
1.02B
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.
The companies
VMRKAvalonBay Communities, Inc.
REIT - Residential · $61.20 · beta 0.57
Why now
REIT - Residential · market cap $47.4b. 14% off the 52-week high of $71.50. 19 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $73.44 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
Net margin 33% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma.
Risk
Dividend payout 97% of earnings on a 4.6% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. P/S 15.3x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
MAAMid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.
REIT - Residential · $115.70 · beta 0.73
Why now
REIT - Residential · market cap $13.8b. 20% off the 52-week high of $144.41. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $141.40 (implying +22% upside).
Moat
Net margin 18% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent.
Risk
Dividend payout 178% of earnings on a 5.2% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. 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.
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.
Common questions
Is VMRK or MAA the better stock?
On the Bull Rankings quality-growth score they are level: VMRK and MAA both score 67.0 out of 100. The score blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number, so a tie means the model sees no meaningful edge either way — the pillar breakdown on this page shows where each is actually stronger.
How are VMRK and MAA 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.