Back to top

Image: Bigstock

UGP or WMB: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in stocks from the Oil and Gas - Production and Pipelines sector have probably already heard of Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (UGP - Free Report) and Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (WMB - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. 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, Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Williams Companies, Inc. (The) has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that UGP's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst 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.

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.

UGP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18, while WMB has a forward P/E of 20.25. We also note that UGP has a PEG ratio of 3.59. 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. WMB currently has a PEG ratio of 5.79.

Another notable valuation metric for UGP is its P/B ratio of 2.29. 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, WMB has a P/B of 3.03.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to UGP's Value grade of B and WMB's Value grade of C.

UGP sticks out from WMB in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that UGP is the better option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (WMB) - free report >>

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (UGP) - free report >>

Published in