ODP vs. ULTA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in Retail - Miscellaneous stocks are likely familiar with ODP Corp. (ODP) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). 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.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, ODP Corp. is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Ulta Beauty has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that ODP likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than ULTA has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

ODP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.92, while ULTA has a forward P/E of 19.46. We also note that ODP has a PEG ratio of 0.42. 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. ULTA currently has a PEG ratio of 2.76.

Another notable valuation metric for ODP is its P/B ratio of 0.68. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, ULTA has a P/B of 8.48.

Based on these metrics and many more, ODP holds a Value grade of A, while ULTA has a Value grade of C.

ODP has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than ULTA, so it seems like value investors will conclude that ODP is the superior option right now.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research