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SNY vs. LLY: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals sector might want to consider either Sanofi (SNY - Free Report) or Eli Lilly (LLY - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Sanofi has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Eli Lilly has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that SNY 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.

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.

SNY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.73, while LLY has a forward P/E of 44.11. We also note that SNY has a PEG ratio of 1.85. 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. LLY currently has a PEG ratio of 2.12.

Another notable valuation metric for SNY is its P/B ratio of 1.79. 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, LLY has a P/B of 33.04.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SNY's Value grade of A and LLY's Value grade of C.

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


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