Investors interested in stocks from the Technology Services sector have probably already heard of JBT Marel (JBTM) and Enpro (NPO). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.
Currently, JBT Marel has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Enpro has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that JBTM's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.
Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.
Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.
JBTM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 24.66, while NPO has a forward P/E of 27.91. We also note that JBTM has a PEG ratio of 1.79. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. NPO currently has a PEG ratio of 1.86.
Another notable valuation metric for JBTM is its P/B ratio of 1.8. 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, NPO has a P/B of 3.03.
These metrics, and several others, help JBTM earn a Value grade of B, while NPO has been given a Value grade of C.
JBTM has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than NPO, so it seems like value investors will conclude that JBTM is the superior option right now.
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JBT Marel Corporation (JBTM): Free Stock Analysis Report Enpro Inc. (NPO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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