Back to top

Image: Bigstock

CE vs. LTHM: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Chemical - Specialty stocks are likely familiar with Celanese (CE - Free Report) and Livent . 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Celanese has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Livent has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that CE likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than LTHM has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

CE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.37, while LTHM has a forward P/E of 161.21. We also note that CE has a PEG ratio of 0.56. 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. LTHM currently has a PEG ratio of 3.35.

Another notable valuation metric for CE is its P/B ratio of 4.29. 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, LTHM has a P/B of 5.12.

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

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Celanese Corporation (CE) - free report >>

Published in