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HSIC vs. MMSI: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors with an interest in Medical - Dental Supplies stocks have likely encountered both Henry Schein (HSIC - Free Report) and Merit Medical (MMSI - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Henry Schein has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Merit Medical has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that HSIC has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

HSIC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.05, while MMSI has a forward P/E of 21.06. We also note that HSIC has a PEG ratio of 1.56. 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. MMSI currently has a PEG ratio of 1.98.

Another notable valuation metric for HSIC is its P/B ratio of 2.56. 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, MMSI has a P/B of 3.11.

Based on these metrics and many more, HSIC holds a Value grade of A, while MMSI has a Value grade of C.

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

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