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ADBE or CDNS: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Computer - Software stocks have likely encountered both Adobe Systems (ADBE - Free Report) and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS - 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Adobe Systems has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Cadence Design Systems has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that ADBE 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 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.

ADBE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.53, while CDNS has a forward P/E of 43.74. We also note that ADBE has a PEG ratio of 0.79. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. CDNS currently has a PEG ratio of 3.23.

Another notable valuation metric for ADBE is its P/B ratio of 8.75. 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, CDNS has a P/B of 14.6.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ADBE's Value grade of B and CDNS's Value grade of F.

ADBE sticks out from CDNS in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that ADBE is the better option right now.

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