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DRS vs. HEI: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Aerospace - Defense Equipment sector might want to consider either Leonardo DRS, Inc. (DRS - Free Report) or Heico Corporation (HEI - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Leonardo DRS, Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Heico Corporation has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that DRS has an improving earnings outlook. 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 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.

DRS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 25.93, while HEI has a forward P/E of 50.58. We also note that DRS has a PEG ratio of 3.04. 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. HEI currently has a PEG ratio of 3.62.

Another notable valuation metric for DRS is its P/B ratio of 2.18. 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, HEI has a P/B of 8.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to DRS's Value grade of B and HEI's Value grade of D.

DRS is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that DRS is likely the superior value option right now.


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