PRIM vs STRL vs IESC Stock Comparison

Primoris Services, Sterling Infrastructure and IES Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
PRIM Primoris Services Corp
$64.99 -12.4% 1M -52.3% 1Y
Market cap
$3.58B
P/E
25.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.28B
Div. yield
0.00%
Utility Construction Industrials
IESC IES Holdings, Inc.
$213.54 -33.2% 1M -43.9% 1Y
Market cap
$8.65B
P/E
19.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.99B
Div. yield
–
Utility Construction Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Sterling Infrastructure leads on 10 of the 12 questions below (Sterling Infrastructure 10, IES Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPRIMSTRLIESCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.58B $11.07B $8.65B STRL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.7x 25.7x 19.0x IESC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 28.8x 19.0x 19.7x STRL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.1% +60.8% +22.7% STRL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.9% 12.5% 11.4% STRL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.0% 29.2% — STRL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -0.3x — STRL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -52.3% +0.4% -43.9% STRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +19.0%/yr +73.3%/yr +34.3%/yr STRL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 94.4% 85.9% 106.2% STRL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 38/100 71/100 67/100 STRL

Percentile Scorecard

PRIMSTRLIESC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisPRIMSTRLIESC
Valuation 61 #21 of 52 49 #27 of 52 47 #28 of 52
Growth 17 #31 of 37 86 #6 of 37 83 #7 of 37
Profitability 42 #22 of 37 97 #2 of 37 92 #4 of 37
Financial Health 45 #32 of 57 75 #15 of 57 89 #7 of 57
Shareholder Returns 27 #20 of 27 50 #14 of 27 23 #21 of 27
Overall 38 71 67
  • PRIM ranked among 57 companies in Construction Services
  • STRL ranked among 57 companies in Construction Services
  • IESC ranked among 57 companies in Construction Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodPRIMSTRLIESCSPY
1 month -12.4%-30.6%-33.2% -1.0%
3 months -24.9%-46.2%-65.9% +2.9%
6 months -62.1%-28.5%-64.4% +6.4%
Year to date -47.6%+16.0%-45.1% +11.4%
1 year -52.3%+0.4%-43.9% +13.1%
3 years +115.9%+394.0%+244.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year +29.3%+70.4%+51.1% +21.5%
5 years +138.5%+1,461.1%+336.2% +67.7%
5 years, per year +19.0%+73.3%+34.3% +10.9%
10 years +227.9%+4,443.5%+1,255.8% +255.2%
10 years, per year +12.6%+46.5%+29.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasurePRIMSTRLIESCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 94.4%85.9%106.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 119.9%81.4%130.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.853.382.97 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.550.00-0.41 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -68.0%-64.2%-73.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -68.0%-64.2%-73.1% -2.5%
52-week high $202.92$993.74$793.96 $779.14
52-week low $64.99$283.57$213.54 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultiplePRIMSTRLIESC
P/E now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 25.6x 25.3xmedian 25.6x 18.7xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 0.5xmedian 0.8x 3.2xmedian 0.8x 2.1xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.0xmedian 12.7x 15.5xmedian 12.7x 14.7xmedian 12.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 39.8xmedian 22.4x 22.6xmedian 22.4x 37.3xmedian 22.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 2.3x 7.8xmedian 2.3x 6.9xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 6.30median 0.57 0.14median 0.57 0.25median 0.57

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsPRIMSTRLIESC
Revenue $7.28B $3.44B $3.99B
Gross profit $627.80M $818.59M $1.05B
Operating income $212.09M $602.35M $492.85M
Net income $139.54M $460.44M $457.91M
Free cash flow $88.00M $482.00M $228.40M
EPS (diluted) $2.59 $13.85 $11.29
Cash & equivalents $218.20M $464.45M $77.28M
Total debt $2.21B $1.16B –
Shares (diluted) 54.00M 31.14M 40.40M
Enterprise value $2.04B $9.40B $7.50B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricPRIMSTRLIESC
P/E 25.1x 25.3x 18.7x
P/FCF 39.8x 22.6x 37.3x
P/Operating cash flow 18.0x 18.2x 22.9x
P/S 0.5x 3.2x 2.1x
P/B 2.2x 7.8x 6.9x
P/Tangible book 2.8x 14.9x 7.2x
EV/EBITDA 13.0x 15.5x 14.7x
EV/EBIT 19.2x 17.8x 16.5x
EV/Revenue 0.6x 3.1x 2.0x
EV/FCF 46.3x 22.2x 35.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.0x 17.9x 21.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 6.30 0.14 0.25

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPRIMSTRLIESC
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.1% 60.8% 22.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 22.6% 19.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -20.1% 72.5% 29.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 39.4% 37.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -44.8% 94.1% 39.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -0.8% 49.7% 55.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -42.1% 51.3% 66.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.8% 55.4% 67.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -41.2% 49.5% 69.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 183.9% 74.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -70.8% 20.3% 50.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.6% 18.6% 41.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -82.4% 10.6% 23.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 57.9% 18.8% 25.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPRIMSTRLIESC
Gross margin 8.6% 23.8% 26.3%
EBITDA margin 4.3% 20.2% 13.8%
Operating margin 2.9% 17.5% 12.4%
Pretax margin 2.6% 17.5% 14.5%
Net margin 1.9% 12.5% 11.4%
FCF margin 1.2% 14.0% 5.7%
Operating cash flow margin 2.7% 17.4% 9.3%
Return on equity 8.5% 35.6% 39.8%
Return on assets 3.2% 15.4% 21.4%
Return on invested capital 7.0% 29.2% –
Return on capital employed 8.2% 35.5% 41.3%
Asset turnover 1.6x 1.2x 1.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.3x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.8% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPRIMSTRLIESC
Debt / assets 17.2% 8.9% –
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.2x –
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -0.3x –
Debt / FCF 9.1x 0.6x –
Liabilities / assets 65.4% 56.5% 46.0%
Equity / assets 34.6% 43.5% 54.0%
Interest coverage – 36.1x 140.8x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.1x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.1x 0.4x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 2.91 5.87 8.37

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPRIMSTRLIESC
Dividend yield 0.5% – –
Net buyback yield – 0.6% 0.2%
Shareholder yield 0.5% 0.6% 0.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 12.5% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 19.8% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 15.4% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.9% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusPRIMSTRLIESC
Forward P/E 28.8xFY2026 19.0xFY2026 19.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.26FY2026 $18.73FY2026 $10.85FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -59.8%FY2026 +72.2%FY2026 +58.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +117.7% +43.6% +18.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.78BFY2026 $4.20BFY2026 $4.10BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -10.4%FY2026 +68.8%FY2026 +21.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.0% +12.4% +60.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPRIMSTRLIESC
Held by institutions 100.0% 85.7% 96.8%
Institutions holding 445 888 412
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% -6.1% +0.6%
Institutions buying 243 456 224
Institutions selling 159 366 144
Buyers to sellers 1.53 1.25 1.56

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

PRIMSTRLIESC
PRIM 1.00 0.32 0.28
STRL 0.32 1.00 0.49
IESC 0.28 0.49 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, PRIM, STRL and IESC?

Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Primoris Services (PRIM) $3.58B, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) $11.07B, IES Holdings (IESC) $8.65B.

Which stock is cheaper, PRIM, STRL and IESC?

IES Holdings (IESC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Primoris Services (PRIM) 25.7x, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) 25.7x, IES Holdings (IESC) 19.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) is cheapest (Primoris Services (PRIM) 28.8x, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) 19.0x, IES Holdings (IESC) 19.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Primoris Services (PRIM) +5.1%, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) +60.8%, IES Holdings (IESC) +22.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) has the highest net margin (Primoris Services (PRIM) 1.9%, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) 12.5%, IES Holdings (IESC) 11.4%). On return on invested capital, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) leads (Primoris Services (PRIM) 7.0%, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) 29.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) returned the most: Primoris Services (PRIM) -52.3%, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) +0.4%, IES Holdings (IESC) -43.9%. Over five years, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) compounded fastest (Primoris Services (PRIM) +19.0%/yr, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) +73.3%/yr, IES Holdings (IESC) +34.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Primoris Services (PRIM) 0.00%, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) 0.00%, IES Holdings (IESC) 0.00%. Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) and IES Holdings (IESC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) has been the steadiest (Primoris Services (PRIM) 94.4%, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) 85.9%, IES Holdings (IESC) 106.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, PRIM, STRL and IESC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) leads on 10. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.