Investors with an interest in Medical - Products stocks have likely encountered both Smith & Nephew (SNN) and Stryker (SYK). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.
We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
Currently, Smith & Nephew has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Stryker has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that SNN has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.
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.
SNN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.40, while SYK has a forward P/E of 28.06. We also note that SNN has a PEG ratio of 1.01. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. SYK currently has a PEG ratio of 2.75.
Another notable valuation metric for SNN is its P/B ratio of 2.9. 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, SYK has a P/B of 6.83.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SNN's Value grade of B and SYK's Value grade of D.
SNN is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that SNN is likely the superior value option right now.
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Smith & Nephew SNATS, Inc. (SNN): Free Stock Analysis Report Stryker Corporation (SYK): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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