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NOK or JNPR: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Wireless Equipment stocks have likely encountered both Nokia (NOK - Free Report) and Juniper Networks (JNPR - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Nokia is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Juniper Networks has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that NOK likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than JNPR has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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 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.

NOK currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.59, while JNPR has a forward P/E of 16.59. We also note that NOK has a PEG ratio of 1.02. 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. JNPR currently has a PEG ratio of 4.66.

Another notable valuation metric for NOK is its P/B ratio of 0.92. 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, JNPR has a P/B of 2.62.

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

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


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