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JMPLY or APD: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Chemical - Diversified sector have probably already heard of Johnson Matthey PLC (JMPLY - Free Report) and Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 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.

Right now, Johnson Matthey PLC is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Air Products and Chemicals has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that JMPLY likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than APD has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

JMPLY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.03, while APD has a forward P/E of 23.01. We also note that JMPLY has a PEG ratio of 2.92. 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. APD currently has a PEG ratio of 6.17.

Another notable valuation metric for JMPLY is its P/B ratio of 1.49. 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, APD has a P/B of 3.46.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to JMPLY's Value grade of A and APD's Value grade of D.

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


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