ARGAN INC vs JACOBS SOLUTIONS INC., two Engineering & Construction stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AGX and J diverge most: on debt / equity, AGX reads 0.00 and J reads 1.10; on net margin, AGX reads 15.1% and J reads 2.4%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's AGX price has a different growth bar priced in than J (+22.5% implied for AGX vs +21.2% for J); 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 J'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 | J |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $393.32 | $139.30 |
| Market cap | $5.6B | $16.6B |
| Sector | Engineering & Construction | Engineering & Construction |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +22.5% | +21.2% |
| P/E | 31.1 | 49.6 |
| P/B | 10.99 | 5.07 |
| P/S | 4.69 | 1.16 |
| EV/EBITDA | 28.1 | 24.4 |
| Revenue growth | +30.6% | +20.1% |
| Gross margin | 19.3% | 19.9% |
| Operating margin | 14.8% | 7.0% |
| Net margin | 15.1% | 2.4% |
| Return on equity | 35.4% | 10.4% |
| Return on assets | 12.8% | 2.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 28.7% | 5.4% |
| FCF yield | 9.8% | 3.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 1.10 |
| Current ratio | 1.50 | 1.29 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 5.59 | 7.52 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 6 / 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.