KBR vs. ALFVY: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors interested in Engineering - R and D Services stocks are likely familiar with KBR Inc. (KBR) and Alfa Laval AB Unsponsored ADR (ALFVY). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.

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.

KBR Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Alfa Laval AB Unsponsored ADR has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now. This means that KBR'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.

KBR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.76, while ALFVY has a forward P/E of 25.10. We also note that KBR has a PEG ratio of 1.90. 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. ALFVY currently has a PEG ratio of 3.95.

Another notable valuation metric for KBR is its P/B ratio of 2.7. 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, ALFVY has a P/B of 4.76.

These metrics, and several others, help KBR earn a Value grade of A, while ALFVY has been given a Value grade of D.

KBR stands above ALFVY thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that KBR is the superior value option right now.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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