AHCO or LZAGY: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
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Investors interested in Medical - Products stocks are likely familiar with AdaptHealth Corp. (AHCO) and Lonza Group Ag (LZAGY). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.
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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
AdaptHealth Corp. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Lonza Group Ag has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that AHCO has an improving earnings 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.
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.
AHCO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.60, while LZAGY has a forward P/E of 39.40. We also note that AHCO has a PEG ratio of 1.43. 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. LZAGY currently has a PEG ratio of 2.36.
Another notable valuation metric for AHCO is its P/B ratio of 0.95. 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, LZAGY has a P/B of 4.38.
These metrics, and several others, help AHCO earn a Value grade of A, while LZAGY has been given a Value grade of D.
AHCO has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than LZAGY, so it seems like value investors will conclude that AHCO is the superior option right now.
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AdaptHealth Corp. (AHCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Lonza Group Ag (LZAGY) : Free Stock Analysis Report