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SAIA vs. ODFL: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Transportation - Truck stocks are likely familiar with Saia (SAIA - Free Report) and Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Saia is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Old Dominion Freight Line has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that SAIA's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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 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.

SAIA currently has a forward P/E ratio of 30.70, while ODFL has a forward P/E of 30.74. We also note that SAIA has a PEG ratio of 1.69. 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. ODFL currently has a PEG ratio of 1.97.

Another notable valuation metric for SAIA is its P/B ratio of 5.51. 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, ODFL has a P/B of 7.81.

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

SAIA sticks out from ODFL in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that SAIA is the better option right now.


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Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL) - free report >>

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