HPE vs. SIMO: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in Computer - Integrated Systems stocks are likely familiar with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Silicon Motion (SIMO). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Silicon Motion 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 HPE is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

HPE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.56, while SIMO has a forward P/E of 27.03. We also note that HPE has a PEG ratio of 1.99. 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. SIMO currently has a PEG ratio of 3.84.

Another notable valuation metric for HPE is its P/B ratio of 1.29. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, SIMO has a P/B of 3.9.

Based on these metrics and many more, HPE holds a Value grade of B, while SIMO has a Value grade of D.

HPE 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 HPE is likely the superior value option right now.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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