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OLN vs. APD: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Chemical - Diversified stocks are likely familiar with Olin (OLN - Free Report) and Air Products and Chemicals (APD - 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.

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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Olin is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Air Products and Chemicals has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that OLN likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than APD has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

OLN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.68, while APD has a forward P/E of 29.27. We also note that OLN has a PEG ratio of 0.12. 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. APD currently has a PEG ratio of 2.76.

Another notable valuation metric for OLN is its P/B ratio of 3.83. 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, APD has a P/B of 4.78.

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

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


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