Investors interested in stocks from the Computers - IT Services sector have probably already heard of Leidos (LDOS) and ServiceNow (NOW). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.
Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
Currently, Leidos has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while ServiceNow has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that LDOS likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than NOW has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.
Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.
The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.
LDOS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.22, while NOW has a forward P/E of 54.27. We also note that LDOS has a PEG ratio of 2.11. 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. NOW currently has a PEG ratio of 2.28.
Another notable valuation metric for LDOS is its P/B ratio of 4.93. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, NOW has a P/B of 17.34.
These metrics, and several others, help LDOS earn a Value grade of B, while NOW has been given a Value grade of F.
LDOS stands above NOW thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that LDOS is the superior value option right now.
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Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS): Free Stock Analysis Report ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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