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MTH vs. NVR: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Building Products - Home Builders stocks are likely familiar with Meritage Homes (MTH - Free Report) and NVR (NVR - Free Report) . 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.

Meritage Homes and NVR are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 1 (Strong Buy) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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 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.

MTH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.57, while NVR has a forward P/E of 19.53. We also note that MTH has a PEG ratio of 0.51. 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. NVR currently has a PEG ratio of 4.03.

Another notable valuation metric for MTH is its P/B ratio of 2.01. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, NVR has a P/B of 6.20.

Based on these metrics and many more, MTH holds a Value grade of B, while NVR has a Value grade of D.

Both MTH and NVR are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that MTH is the superior value option right now.


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