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AKAM or SHOP: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Internet - Services stocks are likely familiar with Akamai Technologies (AKAM - Free Report) and Shopify (SHOP - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive 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.

Right now, Akamai Technologies is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Shopify has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that AKAM has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

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.

AKAM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.88, while SHOP has a forward P/E of 107.01. We also note that AKAM has a PEG ratio of 2.22. 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. SHOP currently has a PEG ratio of 4.33.

Another notable valuation metric for AKAM is its P/B ratio of 2.39. 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, SHOP has a P/B of 16.21.

Based on these metrics and many more, AKAM holds a Value grade of B, while SHOP has a Value grade of F.

AKAM 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 AKAM is likely the superior value option right now.


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