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MNTX vs. XYL: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Manufacturing - General Industrial sector have probably already heard of Manitex (MNTX - Free Report) and Xylem (XYL - 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Manitex has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Xylem has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now. This means that MNTX's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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 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.

MNTX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 40.18, while XYL has a forward P/E of 49.51. We also note that MNTX has a PEG ratio of 4.02. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. XYL currently has a PEG ratio of 4.13.

Another notable valuation metric for MNTX is its P/B ratio of 1.86. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, XYL has a P/B of 7.81.

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

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


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Manitex International, Inc. (MNTX) - free report >>

Xylem Inc. (XYL) - free report >>

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