SR vs. OGS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Gas Distribution sector might want to consider either Spire (SR) or ONE Gas (OGS). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

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.

Spire and ONE Gas are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (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 SR has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

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.

SR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.01, while OGS has a forward P/E of 18.45. We also note that SR has a PEG ratio of 2.60. 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. OGS currently has a PEG ratio of 3.32.

Another notable valuation metric for SR is its P/B ratio of 1.37. 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, OGS has a P/B of 1.43.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SR's Value grade of B and OGS's Value grade of C.

SR 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 SR 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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