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SYNH or FCHS: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical Services sector have probably already heard of Syneos Health and First Choice Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (FCHS - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. 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.

Syneos Health and First Choice Healthcare Solutions, Inc. are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that SYNH'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 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.

SYNH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.19, while FCHS has a forward P/E of 21.33. We also note that SYNH has a PEG ratio of 1.04. 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. FCHS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.07.

Another notable valuation metric for SYNH is its P/B ratio of 1.74. 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, FCHS has a P/B of 2.16.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SYNH's Value grade of B and FCHS's Value grade of C.

SYNH 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 SYNH is likely the superior value option right now.


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