ARGAN INC vs TopBuild Corp, two Engineering & Construction stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Argan builds power plants under fixed contracts; TopBuild installs and distributes insulation. Argan runs the richer margin, 15.48% of revenue reaching net income against TopBuild's 8.95%, and earns a 34.06% return on equity next to 20.93%. The market pays a wide premium for that record: Argan trades at 67.31 times earnings and 22.97 times book, while TopBuild sits at 23.96 times and 4.98 times. TopBuild answers with cash and reach. Its free-cash-flow yield is 5.88% against Argan's 4.48%, though it carries debt at 1.2 times equity where Argan runs with none. Both grow on construction backlog, and the capital-light EPC model explains Argan's far higher book multiple.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | AGX | BLD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $630.74 | $353.73 |
| Market cap | $9.0B | $10.0B |
| Sector | Engineering & Construction | Engineering & Construction |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +49.1% | +14.4% |
| P/E | 55.4 | 19.9 |
| P/B | 18.91 | 4.14 |
| P/S | 8.59 | 1.77 |
| EV/EBITDA | 54.5 | 12.8 |
| Revenue growth | +16.4% | +6.7% |
| Gross margin | 21.0% | 27.7% |
| Operating margin | 15.6% | 12.1% |
| Net margin | 15.5% | 8.9% |
| Return on equity | 34.1% | 20.9% |
| Return on assets | 12.5% | 7.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 28.2% | 11.2% |
| FCF yield | 5.4% | 7.1% |
| Dividend yield | 0.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 1.20 |
| Current ratio | 1.53 | 2.00 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.80 | 3.22 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 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.