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BFAM or ULS: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Business - Services stocks are likely familiar with Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BFAM - Free Report) and UL Solutions Inc. (ULS - 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Bright Horizons Family Solutions is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while UL Solutions Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that BFAM'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 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.

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.

BFAM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.78, while ULS has a forward P/E of 30.95. We also note that BFAM has a PEG ratio of 0.92. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. ULS currently has a PEG ratio of 2.68.

Another notable valuation metric for BFAM is its P/B ratio of 3.36. 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, ULS has a P/B of 8.88.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BFAM's Value grade of A and ULS's Value grade of D.

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

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