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DKS or ULTA: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Retail - Miscellaneous stocks have likely encountered both Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS - Free Report) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA - Free Report) . 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.

Dick's Sporting Goods and Ulta Beauty are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy), respectively, right now. This means that DKS'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 analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies 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.

DKS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.15, while ULTA has a forward P/E of 29.79. We also note that DKS has a PEG ratio of 1.71. 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. ULTA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.81.

Another notable valuation metric for DKS is its P/B ratio of 3.77. 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, ULTA has a P/B of 10.89.

These metrics, and several others, help DKS earn a Value grade of B, while ULTA has been given a Value grade of D.

DKS is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that DKS is likely the superior value option right now.


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DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. (DKS) - free report >>

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