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PDCO or CNMD: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Dental Supplies sector have probably already heard of Patterson Cos. (PDCO - Free Report) and Conmed (CNMD - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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.

Patterson Cos. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Conmed has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PDCO has an improving earnings outlook. 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 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.

PDCO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.40, while CNMD has a forward P/E of 41.94. We also note that PDCO has a PEG ratio of 1.35. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. CNMD currently has a PEG ratio of 3.38.

Another notable valuation metric for PDCO is its P/B ratio of 2.68. 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, CNMD has a P/B of 5.20.

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

PDCO 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 PDCO is likely the superior value option right now.


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