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SPPJY vs. WRK: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors with an interest in Paper and Related Products stocks have likely encountered both Sappi Ltd. (SPPJY - Free Report) and WestRock . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Sappi Ltd. is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while WestRock has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that SPPJY's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst 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.

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.

SPPJY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.90, while WRK has a forward P/E of 21.66. We also note that SPPJY has a PEG ratio of 0.51. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. WRK currently has a PEG ratio of 3.46.

Another notable valuation metric for SPPJY is its P/B ratio of 0.56. 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, WRK has a P/B of 1.07.

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

SPPJY stands above WRK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that SPPJY is the superior value option right now.


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