Back to top

Image: Bigstock

KNF vs. JHX: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in stocks from the Building Products - Miscellaneous sector have probably already heard of Knife River (KNF - Free Report) and James Hardie (JHX - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

Knife River and James Hardie are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that KNF has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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 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.

KNF currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.96, while JHX has a forward P/E of 20.67. We also note that KNF has a PEG ratio of 2.64. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. JHX currently has a PEG ratio of 2.70.

Another notable valuation metric for KNF is its P/B ratio of 3.26. 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, JHX has a P/B of 7.32.

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

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


James Hardie Industries PLC. (JHX) - free report >>

Knife River Corporation (KNF) - free report >>

Published in