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AMRC vs. ORA: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Alternative Energy - Other stocks are likely familiar with Ameresco (AMRC - Free Report) and Ormat Technologies (ORA - 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.

Ameresco and Ormat Technologies are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that AMRC 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.

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.

AMRC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.51, while ORA has a forward P/E of 24.66. We also note that AMRC has a PEG ratio of 1.06. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. ORA currently has a PEG ratio of 2.24.

Another notable valuation metric for AMRC is its P/B ratio of 1.80. 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, ORA has a P/B of 1.82.

These metrics, and several others, help AMRC earn a Value grade of B, while ORA has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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Ameresco, Inc. (AMRC) - free report >>

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