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FLEX vs. TRMB: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Electronics - Miscellaneous Products stocks are likely familiar with Flex (FLEX - Free Report) and Trimble Navigation (TRMB - 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.

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 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.

Flex and Trimble Navigation are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that FLEX likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than TRMB has recently. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

FLEX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.79, while TRMB has a forward P/E of 19.62. We also note that FLEX has a PEG ratio of 0.77. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. TRMB currently has a PEG ratio of 1.55.

Another notable valuation metric for FLEX is its P/B ratio of 2.42. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, TRMB has a P/B of 3.33.

Based on these metrics and many more, FLEX holds a Value grade of A, while TRMB has a Value grade of C.

FLEX 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 FLEX is likely the superior value option right now.


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