TKR vs. ESAB: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

TKR ESAB

Investors interested in Metal Products - Procurement and Fabrication stocks are likely familiar with Timken (TKR - Free Report) and Esab (ESAB - 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Timken has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Esab has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that TKR has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies 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.

TKR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 14.20, while ESAB has a forward P/E of 22. We also note that TKR has a PEG ratio of 1.18. 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. ESAB currently has a PEG ratio of 2.16.

Another notable valuation metric for TKR is its P/B ratio of 2.23. 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, ESAB has a P/B of 3.88.

Based on these metrics and many more, TKR holds a Value grade of B, while ESAB has a Value grade of D.

TKR is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that TKR is likely the superior value option right now.

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