ARCB or JBHT: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors with an interest in Transportation - Truck stocks have likely encountered both ArcBest (ARCB) and JB Hunt (JBHT). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Currently, both ArcBest and JB Hunt are holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong 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 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.

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.

ARCB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 22.60, while JBHT has a forward P/E of 36.01. We also note that ARCB has a PEG ratio of 0.53. 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. JBHT currently has a PEG ratio of 1.75.

Another notable valuation metric for ARCB is its P/B ratio of 2.59. 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, JBHT has a P/B of 7.13.

Based on these metrics and many more, ARCB holds a Value grade of B, while JBHT has a Value grade of D.

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