EXPONENT, INC. vs Paychex, Inc., two Consulting stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where EXPO and PAYX diverge most: on debt / equity, EXPO reads 0.00 and PAYX reads 1.33; on implied growth (priced in), EXPO reads +18.4% and PAYX reads +3.7%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's EXPO price has a different growth bar priced in than PAYX (+18.4% implied for EXPO vs +3.7% for PAYX); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What EXPO's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What PAYX'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 | EXPO | PAYX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $62.01 | $107.54 |
| Market cap | $3.1B | $38.7B |
| Sector | Consulting | Consulting |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +18.4% | +3.7% |
| P/E | 29.0 | 23.6 |
| P/B | 9.19 | 9.63 |
| P/S | 5.16 | 6.10 |
| EV/EBITDA | 23.6 | 16.1 |
| Revenue growth | +7.8% | +16.3% |
| Operating margin | 24.9% | 43.8% |
| Net margin | 18.1% | 25.8% |
| Return on equity | 32.2% | 40.8% |
| Return on assets | 15.8% | 9.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 24.1% | 18.9% |
| FCF yield | 3.6% | 5.4% |
| Dividend yield | 1.9% | 3.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 1.33 |
| Current ratio | 2.40 | 1.26 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 8.15 | 2.53 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 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.