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APTS vs. UMH: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the REIT and Equity Trust - Residential sector might want to consider either Preferred Apartment Communities or UMH Properties (UMH - 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.

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, Preferred Apartment Communities has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while UMH Properties has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that APTS likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than UMH has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

APTS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.90, while UMH has a forward P/E of 18.55. We also note that APTS has a PEG ratio of 1.41. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. UMH currently has a PEG ratio of 1.85.

Another notable valuation metric for APTS is its P/B ratio of 0.37. 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, UMH has a P/B of 3.47.

These metrics, and several others, help APTS earn a Value grade of A, while UMH has been given a Value grade of D.

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


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