AKZOY vs. APD: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in stocks from the Chemical - Diversified sector have probably already heard of Akzo Nobel NV (AKZOY) and Air Products and Chemicals (APD). 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.

Currently, both Akzo Nobel NV and Air Products and Chemicals are holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

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.

AKZOY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.08, while APD has a forward P/E of 22.81. We also note that AKZOY has a PEG ratio of 1.90. 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. APD currently has a PEG ratio of 2.66.

Another notable valuation metric for AKZOY is its P/B ratio of 2.07. 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, APD has a P/B of 4.11.

These metrics, and several others, help AKZOY earn a Value grade of B, while APD has been given a Value grade of F.

Both AKZOY and APD are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that AKZOY 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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