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TRTN vs. WAB: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Transportation - Equipment and Leasing stocks are likely familiar with Triton International and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB - 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.

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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Triton International and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. This means that TRTN'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 analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

TRTN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.78, while WAB has a forward P/E of 18.93. We also note that TRTN has a PEG ratio of 0.58. 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. WAB currently has a PEG ratio of 1.50.

Another notable valuation metric for TRTN is its P/B ratio of 1.58. 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, WAB has a P/B of 1.68.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to TRTN's Value grade of A and WAB's Value grade of D.

TRTN 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 TRTN is likely the superior value option right now.


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