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VEOEY or AWK: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Utility - Water Supply stocks are likely familiar with Veolia Environnement SA (VEOEY - Free Report) and American Water Works (AWK - 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.

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.

Veolia Environnement SA and American Water Works are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. 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 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.

VEOEY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.08, while AWK has a forward P/E of 26.80. We also note that VEOEY has a PEG ratio of 0.79. 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. AWK currently has a PEG ratio of 3.35.

Another notable valuation metric for VEOEY is its P/B ratio of 1.42. 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, AWK has a P/B of 2.74.

These metrics, and several others, help VEOEY earn a Value grade of A, while AWK has been given a Value grade of D.

Both VEOEY and AWK are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that VEOEY is the superior value option right now.


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American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) - free report >>

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