Back to top

Image: Bigstock

MEOH vs. FMC: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Chemical - Diversified sector might want to consider either Methanex (MEOH - Free Report) or FMC (FMC - 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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Methanex and FMC are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy), respectively, right now. This means that MEOH's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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 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.

MEOH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.03, while FMC has a forward P/E of 14.56. We also note that MEOH has a PEG ratio of 0.74. 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. FMC currently has a PEG ratio of 1.02.

Another notable valuation metric for MEOH is its P/B ratio of 3.12. 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, FMC has a P/B of 3.97.

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

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Methanex Corporation (MEOH) - free report >>

FMC Corporation (FMC) - free report >>