Investors interested in Chemical - Diversified stocks are likely familiar with LyondellBasell (LYB) and Air Liquide (AIQUY). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.
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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
LyondellBasell has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Air Liquide has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now. This means that LYB's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when 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.
LYB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.06, while AIQUY has a forward P/E of 27.47. We also note that LYB has a PEG ratio of 0.12. 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. AIQUY currently has a PEG ratio of 3.06.
Another notable valuation metric for LYB is its P/B ratio of 1.79. 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, AIQUY has a P/B of 4.06.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to LYB's Value grade of A and AIQUY's Value grade of D.
LYB 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 LYB is likely the superior value option right now.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB): Free Stock Analysis Report
Air Liquide (AIQUY): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).