Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Gas Distribution sector might want to consider either UGI (UGI) or Atmos Energy (ATO). 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
Right now, both UGI and Atmos Energy are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.
The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.
UGI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.36, while ATO has a forward P/E of 21.04. We also note that UGI has a PEG ratio of 2.19. 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. ATO currently has a PEG ratio of 2.93.
Another notable valuation metric for UGI is its P/B ratio of 1.51. 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, ATO has a P/B of 1.84.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to UGI's Value grade of A and ATO's Value grade of C.
Both UGI and ATO are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that UGI is the superior value option right now.
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UGI Corporation (UGI): Free Stock Analysis Report Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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