AECOM vs STANTEC INC., two Consulting stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Both prices bet on infrastructure spending, but not equally hard. Stantec at 22.4 times earnings is priced for the design-and-engineering backlog to keep growing; AECOM at 18.5 times is priced for more of the same, with the market keeping a little powder dry. The businesses rhyme, thin margins and people-heavy economics, AECOM at a 3.2% net margin, Stantec at 5.9%. Stantec converts price into cash faster, an 8% free-cash yield against 4.5%, and neither carries meaningful debt. The premium on the smaller firm is the market's way of saying it expects the growth there, not just the revenue.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | ACM | STN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $71.01 | $69.32 |
| Market cap | $9.2B | $7.9B |
| Sector | Consulting | Consulting |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -2.3% | — |
| P/E | 18.5 | 22.4 |
| P/B | 3.71 | 3.32 |
| P/S | 0.57 | 1.32 |
| EV/EBITDA | 7.8 | — |
| Revenue growth | -0.4% | +15.6% |
| Gross margin | 7.8% | — |
| Operating margin | 6.5% | — |
| Net margin | 3.2% | 5.9% |
| Return on equity | 20.4% | 14.8% |
| Return on assets | 4.2% | 6.0% |
| Return on invested capital | 34.7% | — |
| FCF yield | 4.5% | 8.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.03 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.11 | 1.23 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.87 | 2.47 |
| 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.