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IQV or IDXX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Instruments sector have probably already heard of IQVIA Holdings (IQV - Free Report) and Idexx Laboratories (IDXX - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

IQVIA Holdings and Idexx Laboratories are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that IQV likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than IDXX has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

IQV currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.67, while IDXX has a forward P/E of 47.21. We also note that IQV has a PEG ratio of 2.25. 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. IDXX currently has a PEG ratio of 2.89.

Another notable valuation metric for IQV is its P/B ratio of 6.82. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, IDXX has a P/B of 33.35.

These metrics, and several others, help IQV earn a Value grade of B, while IDXX has been given a Value grade of D.

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


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