ITT vs. MMM: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

MMM ITT

Investors with an interest in Diversified Operations stocks have likely encountered both ITT (ITT - Free Report) and 3M (MMM - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive 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.

ITT and 3M are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that ITT likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than MMM has recently. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

ITT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.57, while MMM has a forward P/E of 20.30. We also note that ITT has a PEG ratio of 1.51. 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. MMM currently has a PEG ratio of 2.

Another notable valuation metric for ITT is its P/B ratio of 3.05. 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, MMM has a P/B of 11.79.

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

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

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