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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Medpace Holdings vs Penumbra: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Medpace holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and valuation. Penumbra still has the edge on stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward Penumbra, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Medpace, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but valuation adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 30 points in favour of Medpace Holdings, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.75
Similar
Peer-set rank: #1
within Medpace Holdings, Inc.'s functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The match is driven mainly by investment intensity and revenue growth trajectory.

Similarity drivers
investment intensityrevenue growth trajectory
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
MEDP
Medpace Holdings, Inc.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
PEN
Penumbra, Inc.
38
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: MEDP vs PEN Profitability 89 42 Stability 37 54 Valuation 65 25 Growth 70 36 MEDP PEN
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +47
#2 Valuation +40
#3 Growth +34
#4 Stability +17
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for MEDP and PEN Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer MEDPPEN Relative valuation Structural strength

Medpace Holdings, Inc. looks stronger both structurally and on relative valuation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where MEDP and PEN each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY MEDP Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 8 pct gap PEN Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 84th 92nd
MEDP (84th percentile) and PEN (92nd percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both rank well on profitability, but Medpace Holdings, Inc. still holds a clear edge.
Valuation
On valuation, the gap still runs the same way: Medpace Holdings, Inc. sits near the top of the group, while Penumbra, Inc. remains in the weaker half.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
MEDP
89
PEN
42
Gap+47in favour of MEDP

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 9.8-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Penumbra, Inc. still carries lower volatility exposure — that difference is real enough to prevent the comparison from becoming one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and valuation — though stability still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the MEDP vs PEN comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how MEDP and PEN each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.