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FFIV vs. PYPL: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Internet - Software stocks have likely encountered both F5 Networks (FFIV - Free Report) and Paypal (PYPL - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, F5 Networks has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Paypal has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that FFIV is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks 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.

FFIV currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.11, while PYPL has a forward P/E of 22.22. We also note that FFIV has a PEG ratio of 1.14. 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. PYPL currently has a PEG ratio of 1.39.

Another notable valuation metric for FFIV is its P/B ratio of 3.37. 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, PYPL has a P/B of 5.11.

These metrics, and several others, help FFIV earn a Value grade of B, while PYPL has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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