Investors looking for stocks in the Chemical - Specialty sector might want to consider either Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) or Hawkins (HWKN). 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.
Currently, Axalta Coating Systems has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Hawkins has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that AXTA is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.
Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies 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.
AXTA currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.64, while HWKN has a forward P/E of 33.55. We also note that AXTA has a PEG ratio of 1.60. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. HWKN currently has a PEG ratio of 2.58.
Another notable valuation metric for AXTA is its P/B ratio of 2.85. 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, HWKN has a P/B of 5.6.
These metrics, and several others, help AXTA earn a Value grade of B, while HWKN has been given a Value grade of D.
AXTA sticks out from HWKN in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that AXTA is the better option right now.
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