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PBH vs. SYK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Medical - Products stocks are likely familiar with Prestige Consumer Healthcare (PBH - Free Report) and Stryker (SYK - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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.

Currently, Prestige Consumer Healthcare has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Stryker has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that PBH is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 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.

PBH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.73, while SYK has a forward P/E of 28.63. We also note that PBH has a PEG ratio of 2.53. 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. SYK currently has a PEG ratio of 2.88.

Another notable valuation metric for PBH is its P/B ratio of 2.28. 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, SYK has a P/B of 6.97.

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

PBH stands above SYK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that PBH is the superior value option right now.


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