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ATGE or UTI: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Schools stocks are likely familiar with Adtalem Global Education (ATGE - Free Report) and Universal Technical Institute (UTI - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive 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.

Adtalem Global Education has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Universal Technical Institute has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that ATGE's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

ATGE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.57, while UTI has a forward P/E of 42.89. We also note that ATGE has a PEG ratio of 0.85. 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. UTI currently has a PEG ratio of 2.86.

Another notable valuation metric for ATGE is its P/B ratio of 1.11. 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, UTI has a P/B of 2.60.

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

ATGE 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 ATGE is likely the superior value option right now.


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