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SCSC vs. SYM: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Technology Services sector might want to consider either ScanSource (SCSC - Free Report) or Symbotic Inc. (SYM - 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.

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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

ScanSource and Symbotic Inc. are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that SCSC is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

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.

SCSC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.36, while SYM has a forward P/E of 153.30. We also note that SCSC has a PEG ratio of 0.69. 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. SYM currently has a PEG ratio of 5.11.

Another notable valuation metric for SCSC is its P/B ratio of 1.03. 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, SYM has a P/B of 77.8.

These metrics, and several others, help SCSC earn a Value grade of A, while SYM has been given a Value grade of F.

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


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