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NVST vs. BSX: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Medical - Products stocks are likely familiar with Envista (NVST - Free Report) and Boston Scientific (BSX - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. 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, Envista has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Boston Scientific has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that NVST has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

NVST currently has a forward P/E ratio of 21, while BSX has a forward P/E of 27.34. We also note that NVST has a PEG ratio of 0.77. 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. BSX currently has a PEG ratio of 2.90.

Another notable valuation metric for NVST is its P/B ratio of 1.71. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, BSX has a P/B of 3.93.

Based on these metrics and many more, NVST holds a Value grade of B, while BSX has a Value grade of C.

NVST sticks out from BSX in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that NVST is the better option right now.


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