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LGND vs. RGEN: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics sector have probably already heard of Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND - Free Report) and Repligen (RGEN - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. 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 Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Repligen have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

LGND currently has a forward P/E ratio of 31.20, while RGEN has a forward P/E of 53.82. We also note that LGND has a PEG ratio of 2.08. 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. RGEN currently has a PEG ratio of 7.69.

Another notable valuation metric for LGND is its P/B ratio of 1.80. 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, RGEN has a P/B of 5.25.

These metrics, and several others, help LGND earn a Value grade of B, while RGEN has been given a Value grade of D.

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


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Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) - free report >>

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