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CECE vs. DCI: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Pollution Control stocks are likely familiar with CECO Environmental and Donaldson (DCI - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, CECO Environmental is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Donaldson has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). This means that CECE's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

CECE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.98, while DCI has a forward P/E of 22.34. We also note that CECE has a PEG ratio of 1.20. 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. DCI currently has a PEG ratio of 2.06.

Another notable valuation metric for CECE is its P/B ratio of 1.88. 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, DCI has a P/B of 6.68.

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

CECE has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than DCI, so it seems like value investors will conclude that CECE is the superior option right now.


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