Investors looking for stocks in the Internet - Software sector might want to consider either Paycom Software (PAYC) or Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
Paycom Software has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Palantir Technologies Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that PAYC likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than PLTR 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 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.
PAYC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.71, while PLTR has a forward P/E of 86.27. We also note that PAYC has a PEG ratio of 0.93. 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. PLTR currently has a PEG ratio of 1.61.
Another notable valuation metric for PAYC is its P/B ratio of 7.33. 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, PLTR has a P/B of 35.99.
These metrics, and several others, help PAYC earn a Value grade of B, while PLTR has been given a Value grade of F.
PAYC has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than PLTR, so it seems like value investors will conclude that PAYC is the superior option right now.
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Paycom Software, Inc. (PAYC): Free Stock Analysis Report
Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).