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ASGN or DT: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Computers - IT Services sector have probably already heard of ASGN Inc (ASGN - Free Report) and Dynatrace (DT - 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.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

ASGN Inc has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Dynatrace has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that ASGN's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

ASGN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.14, while DT has a forward P/E of 83.13. We also note that ASGN has a PEG ratio of 2.12. 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. DT currently has a PEG ratio of 2.35.

Another notable valuation metric for ASGN is its P/B ratio of 3.52. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, DT has a P/B of 14.08.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ASGN's Value grade of B and DT's Value grade of D.

ASGN 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 ASGN is likely the superior value option right now.


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