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OGS vs. SWX: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Utility - Gas Distribution stocks are likely familiar with ONE Gas (OGS - Free Report) and Southwest Gas (SWX - 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, ONE Gas is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Southwest Gas has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that OGS is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

OGS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.04, while SWX has a forward P/E of 20.96. We also note that OGS has a PEG ratio of 3.21. 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. SWX currently has a PEG ratio of 3.49.

Another notable valuation metric for OGS is its P/B ratio of 1.24. 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, SWX has a P/B of 1.56.

Based on these metrics and many more, OGS holds a Value grade of B, while SWX has a Value grade of C.

OGS 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 OGS is likely the superior value option right now.


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