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SMCI vs. NTAP: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Computer- Storage Devices stocks are likely familiar with Super Micro Computer (SMCI - Free Report) and NetApp (NTAP - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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.

Super Micro Computer and NetApp are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that SMCI likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than NTAP has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

SMCI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.68, while NTAP has a forward P/E of 20.77. We also note that SMCI has a PEG ratio of 0.77. 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. NTAP currently has a PEG ratio of 2.72.

Another notable valuation metric for SMCI is its P/B ratio of 2.26. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, NTAP has a P/B of 27.18.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SMCI's Value grade of B and NTAP's Value grade of D.

SMCI 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 SMCI is likely the superior value option right now.

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