ACN vs. IT: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

ACN IT

Investors interested in Consulting Services stocks are likely familiar with Accenture (ACN - Free Report) and Gartner (IT - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Accenture and Gartner are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. 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 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.

ACN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 28.08, while IT has a forward P/E of 41.06. We also note that ACN has a PEG ratio of 3.16. 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. IT currently has a PEG ratio of 5.59.

Another notable valuation metric for ACN is its P/B ratio of 8.13. 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, IT has a P/B of 62.97.

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

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

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