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DKS or ULTA: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Retail - Miscellaneous sector might want to consider either Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS - Free Report) or Ulta Beauty (ULTA - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 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.

Dick's Sporting Goods has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Ulta Beauty 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 DKS has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

DKS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.56, while ULTA has a forward P/E of 90.96. We also note that DKS has a PEG ratio of 2.05. 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. ULTA currently has a PEG ratio of 7.85.

Another notable valuation metric for DKS is its P/B ratio of 2.84. 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, ULTA has a P/B of 8.97.

Based on these metrics and many more, DKS holds a Value grade of A, while ULTA has a Value grade of C.

DKS has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than ULTA, so it seems like value investors will conclude that DKS is the superior option right now.


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DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. (DKS) - free report >>

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