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PDCO or MMSI: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Medical - Dental Supplies sector might want to consider either Patterson Cos. (PDCO - Free Report) or Merit Medical (MMSI - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Both Patterson Cos. and Merit Medical have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

PDCO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.74, while MMSI has a forward P/E of 24.37. We also note that PDCO has a PEG ratio of 1.39. 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. MMSI currently has a PEG ratio of 2.12.

Another notable valuation metric for PDCO is its P/B ratio of 2.74. 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, MMSI has a P/B of 3.39.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to PDCO's Value grade of A and MMSI's Value grade of C.

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


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Patterson Companies, Inc. (PDCO) - free report >>

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