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APTV vs. PLTR: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Technology Services stocks have likely encountered both Aptiv PLC (APTV - Free Report) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Aptiv PLC has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Palantir Technologies Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that APTV's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when 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.

APTV currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.36, while PLTR has a forward P/E of 64.80. We also note that APTV has a PEG ratio of 1.12. 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. PLTR currently has a PEG ratio of 1.14.

Another notable valuation metric for APTV is its P/B ratio of 2.90. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, PLTR has a P/B of 10.27.

These metrics, and several others, help APTV earn a Value grade of B, while PLTR has been given a Value grade of F.

APTV is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that APTV is likely the superior value option right now.


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