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FMC or CTVA: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Agriculture - Operations sector have probably already heard of FMC (FMC - Free Report) and Corteva, Inc. (CTVA - 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

FMC and Corteva, Inc. are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that FMC has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when 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.

FMC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.14, while CTVA has a forward P/E of 25.71. We also note that FMC has a PEG ratio of 1.33. 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. CTVA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.97.

Another notable valuation metric for FMC is its P/B ratio of 1.25. 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, CTVA has a P/B of 2.15.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to FMC's Value grade of B and CTVA's Value grade of D.

FMC is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that FMC is likely the superior value option right now.


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