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PRDO or LOPE: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Schools stocks have likely encountered both Perdoceo Education (PRDO - Free Report) and Grand Canyon Education (LOPE - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 Perdoceo Education and Grand Canyon Education have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. 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.

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.

PRDO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.66, while LOPE has a forward P/E of 18.56. We also note that PRDO has a PEG ratio of 0.71. 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. LOPE currently has a PEG ratio of 1.24.

Another notable valuation metric for PRDO is its P/B ratio of 1.78. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, LOPE has a P/B of 5.68.

These metrics, and several others, help PRDO earn a Value grade of A, while LOPE has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (LOPE) - free report >>

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