Back to top

Image: Bigstock

PDCO vs. CNMD: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Medical - Dental Supplies stocks are likely familiar with Patterson Cos. (PDCO - Free Report) and Conmed (CNMD - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Patterson Cos. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Conmed has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PDCO has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

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.

PDCO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.10, while CNMD has a forward P/E of 28.50. We also note that PDCO has a PEG ratio of 1.36. 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. CNMD currently has a PEG ratio of 2.57.

Another notable valuation metric for PDCO is its P/B ratio of 2.82. 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, CNMD has a P/B of 4.37.

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

PDCO stands above CNMD thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that PDCO is the superior value option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


CONMED Corporation (CNMD) - free report >>

Patterson Companies, Inc. (PDCO) - free report >>

Published in