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JAZZ vs. ZTS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Drugs sector have probably already heard of Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ - Free Report) and Zoetis (ZTS - 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 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.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Zoetis are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

JAZZ currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.10, while ZTS has a forward P/E of 31.49. We also note that JAZZ has a PEG ratio of 0.59. 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. ZTS currently has a PEG ratio of 2.75.

Another notable valuation metric for JAZZ is its P/B ratio of 2.38. 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, ZTS has a P/B of 17.51.

These metrics, and several others, help JAZZ earn a Value grade of A, while ZTS has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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