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EYE vs. LMAT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Medical - Products stocks are likely familiar with National Vision (EYE - Free Report) and LeMaitre Vascular (LMAT - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. 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.

Currently, National Vision has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while LeMaitre Vascular has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that EYE likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than LMAT has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

EYE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 38.07, while LMAT has a forward P/E of 38.37. We also note that EYE has a PEG ratio of 2.14. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. LMAT currently has a PEG ratio of 3.84.

Another notable valuation metric for EYE is its P/B ratio of 2.73. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, LMAT has a P/B of 4.74.

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

EYE 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 EYE is likely the superior value option right now.


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LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. (LMAT) - free report >>

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (EYE) - free report >>

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