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F or FSS: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Automotive - Domestic sector might want to consider either Ford Motor Company (F - Free Report) or Federal Signal (FSS - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. 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.

Currently, Ford Motor Company has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Federal Signal has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that F likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than FSS has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

F currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.37, while FSS has a forward P/E of 25.19. We also note that F has a PEG ratio of 0.31. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FSS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.80.

Another notable valuation metric for F is its P/B ratio of 1.49. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FSS has a P/B of 5.2.

Based on these metrics and many more, F holds a Value grade of A, while FSS has a Value grade of C.

F 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 F is likely the superior value option right now.

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