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CDW vs. NOW: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Computers - IT Services stocks have likely encountered both CDW (CDW - Free Report) and ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 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.

Currently, both CDW and ServiceNow are holding a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

CDW currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.41, while NOW has a forward P/E of 50.61. We also note that CDW has a PEG ratio of 1.48. 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. NOW currently has a PEG ratio of 1.79.

Another notable valuation metric for CDW is its P/B ratio of 17.03. 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, NOW has a P/B of 18.72.

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

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


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