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XYZ vs. PLTR: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Internet - Software sector might want to consider either Block (XYZ - Free Report) or Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR - 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Block has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Palantir Technologies Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that XYZ's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

XYZ currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.72, while PLTR has a forward P/E of 101.16. We also note that XYZ has a PEG ratio of 0.59. 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. PLTR currently has a PEG ratio of 2.77.

Another notable valuation metric for XYZ is its P/B ratio of 2.25. 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, PLTR has a P/B of 36.52.

These metrics, and several others, help XYZ earn a Value grade of B, while PLTR has been given a Value grade of D.

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

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