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ASO vs. POOL: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Leisure and Recreation Products sector might want to consider either Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (ASO - Free Report) or Pool Corp. (POOL - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Currently, both Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. and Pool Corp. are holding a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. 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.

ASO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.38, while POOL has a forward P/E of 22.51. We also note that ASO has a PEG ratio of 0.58. 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. POOL currently has a PEG ratio of 2.25.

Another notable valuation metric for ASO is its P/B ratio of 2.14. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, POOL has a P/B of 14.21.

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

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


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