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 revenue growth, ACM reads -4.1% and PAYX reads +16.9%; on operating margin, ACM reads -2.1% and PAYX reads 37.7%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's ACM price has a different growth bar priced in than PAYX (+7.9% implied for ACM vs +1.4% 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 | $63.48 | $115.78 |
| Market cap | $8.2B | $41.6B |
| Sector | Consulting | Consulting |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +7.9% | +1.4% |
| P/E | 29.1 | 23.7 |
| P/B | 3.40 | 11.14 |
| P/S | 0.53 | 6.39 |
| EV/EBITDA | 10.6 | 15.3 |
| Revenue growth | -4.1% | +16.9% |
| Gross margin | -0.9% | — |
| Operating margin | -2.1% | 37.7% |
| Net margin | 1.9% | 27.0% |
| Return on equity | 12.0% | 47.1% |
| Return on assets | 2.4% | 10.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 20.3% | 23.0% |
| FCF yield | 2.5% | 5.6% |
| Dividend yield | — | 3.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.03 | 1.22 |
| Current ratio | 1.06 | 1.26 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.62 | 2.82 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
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.