AECOM vs Paychex, Inc., two Consulting stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where ACM and PAYX diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), ACM reads -2.3% and PAYX reads +0.6%; on revenue growth, ACM reads -0.4% and PAYX reads +16.3%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's ACM price has a different growth bar priced in than PAYX (-2.3% implied for ACM vs +0.6% for PAYX); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What ACM's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What PAYX's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | ACM | PAYX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $71.01 | $99.89 |
| Market cap | $9.2B | $35.9B |
| Sector | Consulting | Consulting |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -2.3% | +0.6% |
| P/E | 18.5 | 21.9 |
| P/B | 3.71 | 8.95 |
| P/S | 0.57 | 5.67 |
| EV/EBITDA | 7.8 | 15.0 |
| Revenue growth | -0.4% | +16.3% |
| Gross margin | 7.8% | — |
| Operating margin | 6.5% | 43.8% |
| Net margin | 3.2% | 25.8% |
| Return on equity | 20.4% | 40.8% |
| Return on assets | 4.2% | 9.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 34.7% | 18.9% |
| FCF yield | 4.5% | 5.8% |
| Dividend yield | — | 4.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.03 | 1.33 |
| Current ratio | 1.11 | 1.26 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.87 | 2.41 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.