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PRIM or DY: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Building Products - Heavy Construction sector might want to consider either Primoris Services (PRIM - Free Report) or Dycom Industries (DY - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Primoris Services is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Dycom Industries has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PRIM has an improving earnings 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.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

PRIM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.19, while DY has a forward P/E of 23.53. We also note that PRIM has a PEG ratio of 1.62. 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. DY currently has a PEG ratio of 1.91.

Another notable valuation metric for PRIM is its P/B ratio of 2.24. 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, DY has a P/B of 3.10.

These metrics, and several others, help PRIM earn a Value grade of A, while DY has been given a Value grade of D.

PRIM sticks out from DY in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that PRIM is the better option right now.


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