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JCI or ASAZY: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Security and Safety Services sector might want to consider either Johnson Controls (JCI - Free Report) or Assa Abloy AB (ASAZY - 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.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. 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.

Right now, Johnson Controls is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Assa Abloy AB has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that JCI's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

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.

JCI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.71, while ASAZY has a forward P/E of 18.73. We also note that JCI has a PEG ratio of 1.23. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. ASAZY currently has a PEG ratio of 2.38.

Another notable valuation metric for JCI is its P/B ratio of 2.32. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, ASAZY has a P/B of 2.96.

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

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


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