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NUS vs. EL: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Cosmetics sector have probably already heard of Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS - Free Report) and Estee Lauder (EL - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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.

Nu Skin Enterprises and Estee Lauder are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. 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.

NUS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.36, while EL has a forward P/E of 49.50. We also note that NUS has a PEG ratio of 2.10. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. EL currently has a PEG ratio of 3.86.

Another notable valuation metric for NUS is its P/B ratio of 3.52. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, EL has a P/B of 20.89.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to NUS's Value grade of A and EL's Value grade of F.

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


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The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) - free report >>

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