Back to top

Image: Bigstock

DUOL vs. AMPL: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Technology Services sector might want to consider either Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL - Free Report) or Amplitude, Inc. (AMPL - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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, Duolingo, Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Amplitude, Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that DUOL's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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 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.

DUOL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 47.70, while AMPL has a forward P/E of 208.51. We also note that DUOL has a PEG ratio of 1.02. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. AMPL currently has a PEG ratio of 5.02.

Another notable valuation metric for DUOL is its P/B ratio of 4.51. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, AMPL has a P/B of 4.69.

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

DUOL has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than AMPL, so it seems like value investors will conclude that DUOL is the superior option right now.

Published in