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SR vs. OGS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Gas Distribution sector might want to consider either Spire (SR - Free Report) or ONE Gas (OGS - 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.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Spire has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while ONE Gas has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that SR is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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 grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

SR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.69, while OGS has a forward P/E of 18.94. We also note that SR has a PEG ratio of 2.85. 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. OGS currently has a PEG ratio of 3.79.

Another notable valuation metric for SR is its P/B ratio of 1.46. 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, OGS has a P/B of 1.66.

These metrics, and several others, help SR earn a Value grade of B, while OGS has been given a Value grade of D.

SR stands above OGS thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that SR is the superior value option right now.


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