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UTI vs. BFAM: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Schools sector have probably already heard of Universal Technical Institute (UTI - Free Report) and Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BFAM - 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 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.

Currently, Universal Technical Institute has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that UTI has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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 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.

UTI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 21.20, while BFAM has a forward P/E of 37.72. We also note that UTI has a PEG ratio of 1.41. 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. BFAM currently has a PEG ratio of 3.90.

Another notable valuation metric for UTI is its P/B ratio of 2.29. 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, BFAM has a P/B of 5.56.

Based on these metrics and many more, UTI holds a Value grade of B, while BFAM has a Value grade of D.

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


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