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PRDO vs. LINC: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Schools stocks are likely familiar with Perdoceo Education (PRDO - Free Report) and Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (LINC - 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Perdoceo Education is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Lincoln Educational Services Corporation has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that PRDO likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than LINC has recently. 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.

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.

PRDO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.12, while LINC has a forward P/E of 58.32. We also note that PRDO has a PEG ratio of 0.81. 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. LINC currently has a PEG ratio of 3.89.

Another notable valuation metric for PRDO is its P/B ratio of 2.45. 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, LINC has a P/B of 6.56.

These metrics, and several others, help PRDO earn a Value grade of B, while LINC has been given a Value grade of D.

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

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