ARGAN INC vs IES Holdings, Inc., two Engineering & Construction stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AGX and IESC diverge most: on debt / equity, AGX reads 0.00 and IESC reads 0.03; on fcf yield, AGX reads 5.4% and IESC reads 1.9%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What AGX's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). What IESC's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | AGX | IESC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $630.74 | $624.93 |
| Market cap | $9.0B | $12.6B |
| Sector | Engineering & Construction | Engineering & Construction |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +49.1% | — |
| P/E | 55.4 | 33.3 |
| P/B | 18.91 | 11.76 |
| P/S | 8.59 | 3.47 |
| EV/EBITDA | 54.5 | 26.3 |
| Revenue growth | +16.4% | +16.1% |
| Gross margin | 21.0% | 26.1% |
| Operating margin | 15.6% | 11.5% |
| Net margin | 15.5% | 10.4% |
| Return on equity | 34.1% | 35.2% |
| Return on assets | 12.5% | 18.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 28.2% | 30.4% |
| FCF yield | 5.4% | 1.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.03 |
| Current ratio | 1.53 | 1.55 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.80 | 8.99 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 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.