Back to top

Image: Bigstock

LEN or NVR: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in stocks from the Building Products - Home Builders sector have probably already heard of Lennar (LEN - Free Report) and NVR (NVR - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive 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.

Lennar and NVR 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. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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 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.

LEN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.22, while NVR has a forward P/E of 14.28. We also note that LEN has a PEG ratio of 1.54. 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. NVR currently has a PEG ratio of 3.36.

Another notable valuation metric for LEN is its P/B ratio of 1.33. 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, NVR has a P/B of 4.92.

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

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Lennar Corporation (LEN) - free report >>

NVR, Inc. (NVR) - free report >>

Published in