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ENS or ETN: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Manufacturing - Electronics stocks have likely encountered both EnerSys (ENS - Free Report) and Eaton (ETN - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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.

Right now, EnerSys is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Eaton has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that ENS is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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.

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.

ENS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.40, while ETN has a forward P/E of 21.45. We also note that ENS has a PEG ratio of 1.40. 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. ETN currently has a PEG ratio of 1.95.

Another notable valuation metric for ENS is its P/B ratio of 2.12. 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, ETN has a P/B of 4.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ENS's Value grade of B and ETN's Value grade of C.

ENS has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than ETN, so it seems like value investors will conclude that ENS is the superior option right now.


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