Investors with an interest in Technology Services stocks have likely encountered both Alithya Group (ALYAF) and MeridianLink (MLNK). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.
The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.
Right now, Alithya Group is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while MeridianLink has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that ALYAF is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.
Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.
ALYAF currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.18, while MLNK has a forward P/E of 45.88. We also note that ALYAF has a PEG ratio of 0.58. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. MLNK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.55.
Another notable valuation metric for ALYAF is its P/B ratio of 1.17. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, MLNK has a P/B of 2.9.
Based on these metrics and many more, ALYAF holds a Value grade of A, while MLNK has a Value grade of D.
ALYAF has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than MLNK, so it seems like value investors will conclude that ALYAF is the superior option right now.
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Alithya Group Inc. (ALYAF): Free Stock Analysis Report MeridianLink, Inc. (MLNK): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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