LXFR vs. NDSN: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

NDSN LXFR

Investors interested in Manufacturing - General Industrial stocks are likely familiar with Luxfer (LXFR - Free Report) and Nordson (NDSN - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Luxfer has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Nordson has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that LXFR'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 also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

LXFR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.57, while NDSN has a forward P/E of 30.75. We also note that LXFR has a PEG ratio of 1.43. 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. NDSN currently has a PEG ratio of 2.37.

Another notable valuation metric for LXFR is its P/B ratio of 3.57. 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, NDSN has a P/B of 6.38.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to LXFR's Value grade of B and NDSN's Value grade of C.

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

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