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CROX vs. LULU: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Textile - Apparel stocks are likely familiar with Crocs (CROX - Free Report) and Lululemon (LULU - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Crocs has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Lululemon has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that CROX is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

CROX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.97, while LULU has a forward P/E of 18.18. We also note that CROX has a PEG ratio of 1.29. 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. LULU currently has a PEG ratio of 1.38.

Another notable valuation metric for CROX is its P/B ratio of 4.60. 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, LULU has a P/B of 7.77.

Based on these metrics and many more, CROX holds a Value grade of A, while LULU has a Value grade of C.

CROX sticks out from LULU in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that CROX is the better option right now.


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lululemon athletica inc. (LULU) - free report >>

Crocs, Inc. (CROX) - free report >>

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