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ATGE or LOPE: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Schools sector might want to consider either Adtalem Global Education (ATGE - Free Report) or Grand Canyon Education (LOPE - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, both Adtalem Global Education and Grand Canyon Education are holding a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. 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.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

ATGE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.56, while LOPE has a forward P/E of 17.26. We also note that ATGE has a PEG ratio of 0.70. 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. LOPE currently has a PEG ratio of 1.15.

Another notable valuation metric for ATGE is its P/B ratio of 1.26. 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, LOPE has a P/B of 5.18.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ATGE's Value grade of A and LOPE's Value grade of C.

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


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Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (LOPE) - free report >>

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