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KE or ROK: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Electronics - Miscellaneous Products stocks have likely encountered both Kimball Electronics (KE - Free Report) and Rockwell Automation (ROK - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Kimball Electronics and Rockwell Automation are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that KE likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than ROK has recently. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

KE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.45, while ROK has a forward P/E of 35.08. We also note that KE has a PEG ratio of 0.87. 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. ROK currently has a PEG ratio of 2.92.

Another notable valuation metric for KE is its P/B ratio of 1.02. 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, ROK has a P/B of 14.26.

These metrics, and several others, help KE earn a Value grade of A, while ROK has been given a Value grade of D.

KE is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that KE is likely the superior value option right now.

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