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SSUMY or ITT: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Diversified Operations stocks have likely encountered both Sumitomo Corp. (SSUMY - Free Report) and ITT (ITT - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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

Currently, Sumitomo Corp. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while ITT has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that SSUMY 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.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

SSUMY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.03, while ITT has a forward P/E of 23.35. We also note that SSUMY has a PEG ratio of 0.47. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. ITT currently has a PEG ratio of 1.77.

Another notable valuation metric for SSUMY is its P/B ratio of 0.90. 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, ITT has a P/B of 4.33.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SSUMY's Value grade of A and ITT's Value grade of D.

SSUMY 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 SSUMY is likely the superior value option right now.


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