SSL or XOM: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors looking for stocks in the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International sector might want to consider either Sasol (SSL) or Exxon Mobil (XOM). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Sasol and Exxon Mobil are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that SSL has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

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.

SSL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 4.52, while XOM has a forward P/E of 22.15. We also note that SSL has a PEG ratio of 0.64. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. XOM currently has a PEG ratio of 15.49.

Another notable valuation metric for SSL is its P/B ratio of 0.55. 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, XOM has a P/B of 2.36.

These metrics, and several others, help SSL earn a Value grade of A, while XOM has been given a Value grade of C.

SSL 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 SSL 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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