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VTRS or DHR: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Medical Services stocks are likely familiar with Viatris (VTRS - Free Report) and Danaher (DHR - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 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.

Right now, Viatris is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Danaher has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that VTRS has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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 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.

VTRS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.98, while DHR has a forward P/E of 27.39. We also note that VTRS has a PEG ratio of 2.22. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. DHR currently has a PEG ratio of 2.95.

Another notable valuation metric for VTRS is its P/B ratio of 1.72. 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, DHR has a P/B of 3.08.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to VTRS's Value grade of A and DHR's Value grade of C.

VTRS 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 VTRS is likely the superior value option right now.

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