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VEOEY or AWK: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Utility - Water Supply stocks are likely familiar with Veolia Environnement SA (VEOEY - Free Report) and American Water Works (AWK - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Veolia Environnement SA and American Water Works are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that VEOEY likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than AWK has recently. 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 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.

VEOEY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.15, while AWK has a forward P/E of 27.03. We also note that VEOEY has a PEG ratio of 0.82. 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. AWK currently has a PEG ratio of 3.31.

Another notable valuation metric for VEOEY is its P/B ratio of 1.30. 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, AWK has a P/B of 2.56.

Based on these metrics and many more, VEOEY holds a Value grade of A, while AWK has a Value grade of D.

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


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American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) - free report >>

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