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ZBH vs. MDT: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Products sector have probably already heard of Zimmer Biomet (ZBH - Free Report) and Medtronic (MDT - 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Both Zimmer Biomet and Medtronic have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. 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.

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.

ZBH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.11, while MDT has a forward P/E of 18.73. We also note that ZBH has a PEG ratio of 2.35. 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. MDT currently has a PEG ratio of 2.63.

Another notable valuation metric for ZBH is its P/B ratio of 2.23. 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, MDT has a P/B of 2.73.

Based on these metrics and many more, ZBH holds a Value grade of B, while MDT has a Value grade of C.

Both ZBH and MDT are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that ZBH is the superior value option right now.


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Medtronic PLC (MDT) - free report >>

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