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CWEN or ORA: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Alternative Energy - Other sector might want to consider either Clearway Energy (CWEN - Free Report) or Ormat Technologies (ORA - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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.

Right now, Clearway Energy is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Ormat Technologies 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 CWEN is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

CWEN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 24.63, while ORA has a forward P/E of 48.40. We also note that CWEN has a PEG ratio of 2.46. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. ORA currently has a PEG ratio of 4.84.

Another notable valuation metric for CWEN is its P/B ratio of 1.65. 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, ORA has a P/B of 2.59.

Based on these metrics and many more, CWEN holds a Value grade of B, while ORA has a Value grade of D.

CWEN 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 CWEN is likely the superior value option right now.


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