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ASBFY vs. UTZ: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Food - Miscellaneous sector have probably already heard of Associated British Foods PLC (ASBFY - Free Report) and Utz Brands (UTZ - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. 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, Associated British Foods PLC has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Utz Brands has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that ASBFY has an improving earnings outlook. 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.

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.

ASBFY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.35, while UTZ has a forward P/E of 30.15. We also note that ASBFY has a PEG ratio of 2.38. 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. UTZ currently has a PEG ratio of 7.65.

Another notable valuation metric for ASBFY is its P/B ratio of 1.24. 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, UTZ has a P/B of 1.55.

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

ASBFY has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than UTZ, so it seems like value investors will conclude that ASBFY is the superior option right now.


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