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OCPNY vs. EW: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Instruments sector have probably already heard of Olympus Corp. and Edwards Lifesciences (EW - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Olympus Corp. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Edwards Lifesciences has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that OCPNY has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when 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.

OCPNY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 23.55, while EW has a forward P/E of 37.74. We also note that OCPNY has a PEG ratio of 1.91. 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 2.92.

Another notable valuation metric for OCPNY is its P/B ratio of 6.44. 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, EW has a P/B of 10.29.

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

OCPNY 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 OCPNY is likely the superior value option right now.


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