Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics sector have probably already heard of Regeneron (REGN) and Illumina (ILMN). 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.
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.
Right now, Regeneron is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Illumina has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that REGN likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than ILMN has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its 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.
REGN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.07, while ILMN has a forward P/E of 29.18. We also note that REGN has a PEG ratio of 1.81. 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. ILMN currently has a PEG ratio of 2.46.
Another notable valuation metric for REGN is its P/B ratio of 2.64. 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, ILMN has a P/B of 9.44.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to REGN's Value grade of B and ILMN's Value grade of C.
REGN 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 REGN is likely the superior value option right now.
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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN): Free Stock Analysis Report Illumina, Inc. (ILMN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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