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HOLX vs. EW: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Medical - Instruments stocks have likely encountered both Hologic (HOLX - Free Report) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Both Hologic and Edwards Lifesciences have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have 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.

HOLX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 14.94, while EW has a forward P/E of 46.90. We also note that HOLX has a PEG ratio of 1.17. 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. EW currently has a PEG ratio of 3.37.

Another notable valuation metric for HOLX is its P/B ratio of 4.21. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, EW has a P/B of 12.87.

These metrics, and several others, help HOLX earn a Value grade of A, while EW has been given a Value grade of D.

Both HOLX and EW are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that HOLX is the superior value option right now.


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