FIX vs PWR: How Comfort Systems USA and Quanta Services Compare (2026)

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: FIX is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. FIX and PWR share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined FIX and PWR exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Comfort Systems USA is one of the largest mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) construction service providers in the United States. The company provides design, installation, and service of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electrical, and piping systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional customers. End markets include data centers, semiconductor fabs, life sciences facilities, healthcare buildings, schools, and various other non-residential construction.

Full FIX guide

Quanta Services is the largest specialty contractor for electric power, oil and gas pipeline, and communications infrastructure in North America. The company designs and constructs the physical infrastructure that delivers electricity from generation to customers: transmission lines, distribution networks, substations, and increasingly renewable energy interconnections. Quanta also has a meaningful underground utility infrastructure business (water, sewer, gas pipelines) and a communications infrastructure business (broadband, fiber).

Full PWR guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• FIX drivers: Data center construction; Semiconductor fab buildouts.
• PWR drivers: Grid investment and AI data center load; Renewable energy interconnection.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Construction cyclicality. For PWR, utility regulatory cycles affect transmission and distribution capex pace.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick FIX if you believe its drivers more; PWR if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the FIX and PWR guides.

FIX. Comfort Systems trades at a premium to traditional construction contractors, reflecting data center end-market exposure and backlog visibility. The multiple has expanded with the AI data center thesis.

PWR. Quanta trades at a premium reflecting the grid investment tailwind, the AI data center load growth narrative, and the structural labor moat. The multiple has expanded with recognition that utility capex is entering a generational increase to support AI and renewable interconnection.

Headline figures (approximate, early 2026): FIX shows revenue (ttm) ~$7 billion, operating margin ~11% (improving with mix), net income (ttm) ~$600 million, eps (ttm) ~$17.00; PWR shows revenue (ttm) ~$25 billion, operating margin ~7% (cyclical and labor-intensive), net income (ttm) ~$1.2 billion, eps (ttm) ~$8.00.

FIX and PWR are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined FIX and PWR exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.