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UGI vs. ATO: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?
Investors interested in Utility - Gas Distribution stocks are likely familiar with UGI (UGI - Free Report) and Atmos Energy (ATO - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.
Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
UGI and Atmos Energy 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. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.
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.
UGI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.91, while ATO has a forward P/E of 20.88. We also note that UGI has a PEG ratio of 2.27. 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. ATO currently has a PEG ratio of 2.94.
Another notable valuation metric for UGI is its P/B ratio of 1.55. 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, ATO has a P/B of 1.82.
These metrics, and several others, help UGI earn a Value grade of B, while ATO has been given a Value grade of F.
Both UGI and ATO are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that UGI is the superior value option right now.