TopBuild Corp vs Sterling Infrastructure, Inc., two Engineering & Construction stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Both feed off construction demand, and the market values them very differently. Sterling Infrastructure keeps 12.02% of revenue as profit and earns a 29% return on equity; TopBuild keeps 8.95% and earns 20.93%. Sterling's premium is large: 72.02 times earnings and 20.93 times book, against TopBuild's 23.96 times and 4.98 times. TopBuild answers with cash, a 5.88% free-cash yield next to Sterling's 1.77%. The debt loads flip the picture again, with TopBuild at 1.2 times equity and Sterling at a light 0.24. Sterling's sitework sits closer to data-center and warehouse buildout, which the market currently rewards, while TopBuild rides the slower cycle of building insulation.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | BLD | STRL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $353.73 | $682.13 |
| Market cap | $10.0B | $21.2B |
| Sector | Engineering & Construction | Engineering & Construction |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +14.4% | — |
| P/E | 19.9 | 61.0 |
| P/B | 4.14 | 17.71 |
| P/S | 1.77 | 7.34 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.8 | 36.7 |
| Revenue growth | +6.7% | +41.1% |
| Gross margin | 27.7% | 23.5% |
| Operating margin | 12.1% | 16.7% |
| Net margin | 8.9% | 12.0% |
| Return on equity | 20.9% | 29.0% |
| Return on assets | 7.5% | 12.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 11.2% | 26.0% |
| FCF yield | 7.1% | 2.1% |
| Debt / equity | 1.20 | 0.24 |
| Current ratio | 2.00 | 1.10 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.22 | 7.73 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 8 / 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.