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LYB vs. AIQUY: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Chemical - Diversified sector have probably already heard of LyondellBasell (LYB - Free Report) and Air Liquide (AIQUY - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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.

LyondellBasell has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Air Liquide has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that LYB likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than AIQUY has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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 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.

LYB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.29, while AIQUY has a forward P/E of 27.16. We also note that LYB has a PEG ratio of 0.15. 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. AIQUY currently has a PEG ratio of 3.04.

Another notable valuation metric for LYB is its P/B ratio of 2.04. 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, AIQUY has a P/B of 4.08.

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

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

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