Investors interested in Semiconductor - Analog and Mixed stocks are likely familiar with MaxLinear (MXL Quick QuoteMXL - Free Report) and M/A-Com (MTSI Quick QuoteMTSI - 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Both MaxLinear and M/A-Com have 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 factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its 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.

MXL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.78, while MTSI has a forward P/E of 19.85. We also note that MXL has a PEG ratio of 0.49. 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. MTSI currently has a PEG ratio of 1.25.

Another notable valuation metric for MXL is its P/B ratio of 5.83. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, MTSI has a P/B of 6.89.

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

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