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FERG vs. ITW: 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 Wolseley PLC (FERG - Free Report) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Wolseley PLC has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Illinois Tool Works has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that FERG has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its 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.

FERG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.12, while ITW has a forward P/E of 23.06. We also note that FERG has a PEG ratio of 1.60. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. ITW currently has a PEG ratio of 2.35.

Another notable valuation metric for FERG is its P/B ratio of 7.06. 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, ITW has a P/B of 18.25.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to FERG's Value grade of B and ITW's Value grade of C.

FERG 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 FERG is likely the superior value option right now.


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Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) - free report >>

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