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DG or ROST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Retail - Discount Stores sector have probably already heard of Dollar General (DG - Free Report) and Ross Stores (ROST - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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, both Dollar General and Ross Stores are sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

DG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 14.60, while ROST has a forward P/E of 28.68. We also note that DG has a PEG ratio of 1.72. 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. ROST currently has a PEG ratio of 2.86.

Another notable valuation metric for DG is its P/B ratio of 2.75. 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, ROST has a P/B of 11.03.

Based on these metrics and many more, DG holds a Value grade of A, while ROST has a Value grade of D.

Both DG and ROST are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that DG is the superior value option right now.

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