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KBR vs. RTOXY: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Engineering - R and D Services sector have probably already heard of KBR Inc. (KBR - Free Report) and ROTORK PLC . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, KBR Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while ROTORK PLC has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that KBR is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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.

KBR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.52, while RTOXY has a forward P/E of 21.26. We also note that KBR has a PEG ratio of 1. 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. RTOXY currently has a PEG ratio of 1.85.

Another notable valuation metric for KBR is its P/B ratio of 1.36. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, RTOXY has a P/B of 4.49.

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

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


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