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PATK vs. AWI: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors with an interest in Building Products - Miscellaneous stocks have likely encountered both Patrick Industries (PATK - Free Report) and Armstrong World Industries (AWI - 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Patrick Industries and Armstrong World Industries are both sporting 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 piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

PATK currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.31, while AWI has a forward P/E of 18.74. We also note that PATK has a PEG ratio of 0.99. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. AWI currently has a PEG ratio of 1.12.

Another notable valuation metric for PATK is its P/B ratio of 3.84. 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, AWI has a P/B of 8.94.

These metrics, and several others, help PATK earn a Value grade of A, while AWI has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI) - free report >>

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