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Investors interested in stocks from the Electronics - Miscellaneous Products sector have probably already heard of Flex (FLEX) and Rockwell Automation (ROK). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.
Flex and Rockwell Automation are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that FLEX is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 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.
FLEX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.98, while ROK has a forward P/E of 30.67. We also note that FLEX has a PEG ratio of 2.17. 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. ROK currently has a PEG ratio of 3.01.
Another notable valuation metric for FLEX is its P/B ratio of 3. 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, ROK has a P/B of 9.
These metrics, and several others, help FLEX earn a Value grade of A, while ROK has been given a Value grade of D.
FLEX stands above ROK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that FLEX is the superior value option right now.
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Flex Ltd. (FLEX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) : Free Stock Analysis Report