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 p/s, AGX reads 4.69 and IESC reads 1.51; on fcf yield, AGX reads 9.8% and IESC reads 3.8%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's AGX price has a different growth bar priced in than IESC (+22.5% implied for AGX vs +11.2% for IESC); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What AGX's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (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 | $393.32 | $297.71 |
| Market cap | $5.6B | $6.0B |
| Sector | Engineering & Construction | Engineering & Construction |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +22.5% | +11.2% |
| P/E | 31.1 | 13.2 |
| P/B | 10.99 | 4.89 |
| P/S | 4.69 | 1.51 |
| EV/EBITDA | 28.1 | 11.1 |
| Revenue growth | +30.6% | +22.1% |
| Gross margin | 19.3% | 27.4% |
| Operating margin | 14.8% | 14.4% |
| Net margin | 15.1% | 11.3% |
| Return on equity | 35.4% | 36.8% |
| Return on assets | 12.8% | 19.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 28.7% | 31.7% |
| FCF yield | 9.8% | 3.8% |
| Dividend yield | 0.4% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.50 | 1.63 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 5.59 | 6.50 |
| 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.