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ITRN or ALLE: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Security and Safety Services sector might want to consider either Ituran (ITRN - Free Report) or Allegion (ALLE - 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.

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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Ituran has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Allegion 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 ITRN has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies 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.

ITRN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.99, while ALLE has a forward P/E of 20.20. We also note that ITRN has a PEG ratio of 1.33. 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. ALLE currently has a PEG ratio of 1.54.

Another notable valuation metric for ITRN is its P/B ratio of 5.92. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, ALLE has a P/B of 16.88.

These metrics, and several others, help ITRN earn a Value grade of B, while ALLE has been given a Value grade of C.

ITRN stands above ALLE thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that ITRN is the superior value option right now.


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