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 fcf yield, AGX reads 6.0% and IESC reads 1.5%; on implied growth (priced in), AGX reads +29.7% and IESC reads +8.5%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's AGX price has a different growth bar priced in than IESC (+29.7% implied for AGX vs +8.5% for IESC); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What AGX's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). What IESC'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 | AGX | IESC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $570.06 | $743.80 |
| Market cap | $8.1B | $15.0B |
| Sector | Engineering & Construction | Engineering & Construction |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +29.7% | +8.5% |
| P/E | 50.1 | 33.0 |
| P/B | 17.09 | 12.22 |
| P/S | 7.77 | 3.77 |
| EV/EBITDA | 49.0 | 27.1 |
| Revenue growth | +16.4% | +22.1% |
| Gross margin | 21.0% | 27.4% |
| Operating margin | 15.6% | 14.4% |
| Net margin | 15.5% | 11.3% |
| Return on equity | 34.1% | 36.8% |
| Return on assets | 12.5% | 19.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 28.2% | 31.7% |
| FCF yield | 6.0% | 1.5% |
| Dividend yield | 0.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.53 | 1.63 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.78 | 9.03 |
| 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.