Back to top

Image: Bigstock

ADUS vs. AMED: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare stocks are likely familiar with Addus HomeCare (ADUS - Free Report) and Amedisys (AMED - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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.

Addus HomeCare and Amedisys are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that ADUS's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

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.

ADUS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 33.23, while AMED has a forward P/E of 43.92. We also note that ADUS has a PEG ratio of 2.22. 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. AMED currently has a PEG ratio of 3.14.

Another notable valuation metric for ADUS is its P/B ratio of 2.95. 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, AMED has a P/B of 9.56.

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

ADUS 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 ADUS is likely the superior value option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Amedisys, Inc. (AMED) - free report >>

Addus HomeCare Corporation (ADUS) - free report >>

Published in