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BBSI vs. ADP: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Outsourcing sector have probably already heard of Barrett Business Services (BBSI - Free Report) and Automatic Data Processing (ADP - Free Report) . 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Barrett Business Services and Automatic Data Processing are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings 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.

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.

BBSI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.85, while ADP has a forward P/E of 30. We also note that BBSI has a PEG ratio of 1.15. 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. ADP currently has a PEG ratio of 2.50.

Another notable valuation metric for BBSI is its P/B ratio of 2.58. 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, ADP has a P/B of 17.03.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BBSI's Value grade of B and ADP's Value grade of D.

Both BBSI and ADP are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that BBSI is the superior value option right now.


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Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) - free report >>

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