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PRDO vs. BFAM: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Schools sector have probably already heard of Perdoceo Education (PRDO - Free Report) and Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BFAM - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Perdoceo Education is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PRDO has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

PRDO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.93, while BFAM has a forward P/E of 152.08. We also note that PRDO has a PEG ratio of 0.60. 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. BFAM currently has a PEG ratio of 27.65.

Another notable valuation metric for PRDO is its P/B ratio of 1.96. 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, BFAM has a P/B of 6.87.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to PRDO's Value grade of A and BFAM's Value grade of D.

PRDO sticks out from BFAM in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that PRDO is the better option right now.


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Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (BFAM) - free report >>

Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) - free report >>

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