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STRL or HWM: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Engineering - R and D Services sector might want to consider either Sterling Infrastructure (STRL - Free Report) or Howmet (HWM - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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.

Both Sterling Infrastructure and Howmet have 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 analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

STRL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.56, while HWM has a forward P/E of 25.60. We also note that STRL has a PEG ratio of 0.83. 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. HWM currently has a PEG ratio of 1.20.

Another notable valuation metric for STRL is its P/B ratio of 4.13. 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, HWM has a P/B of 6.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to STRL's Value grade of A and HWM's Value grade of D.

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


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Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL) - free report >>

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