HPE vs. ITI: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

ITI HPE

Investors interested in stocks from the Computer - Integrated Systems sector have probably already heard of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE - Free Report) and Iteris (ITI - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Iteris has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This means that HPE's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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 Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

HPE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.65, while ITI has a forward P/E of 28.73. We also note that HPE has a PEG ratio of 0.98. 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. ITI currently has a PEG ratio of 1.92.

Another notable valuation metric for HPE is its P/B ratio of 1.14. 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, ITI has a P/B of 3.34.

Based on these metrics and many more, HPE holds a Value grade of B, while ITI has a Value grade of C.

HPE stands above ITI thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that HPE is the superior value option right now.

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