Back to top

Image: Bigstock

OSB or WY: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors with an interest in Building Products - Wood stocks have likely encountered both Norbord and Weyerhaeuser (WY - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 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.

Norbord has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Weyerhaeuser has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that OSB'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 try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its 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.

OSB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.34, while WY has a forward P/E of 21.39. We also note that OSB has a PEG ratio of 1.05. 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. WY currently has a PEG ratio of 4.28.

Another notable valuation metric for OSB is its P/B ratio of 2.60. 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, WY has a P/B of 2.75.

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

OSB sticks out from WY in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that OSB is the better option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) - free report >>