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DXPE vs. FLS: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Manufacturing - General Industrial stocks are likely familiar with DXP Enterprises (DXPE - Free Report) and Flowserve (FLS - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

DXP Enterprises has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Flowserve has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that DXPE is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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.

DXPE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.71, while FLS has a forward P/E of 19.70. We also note that DXPE has a PEG ratio of 0.78. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FLS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.27.

Another notable valuation metric for DXPE is its P/B ratio of 1.74. 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, FLS has a P/B of 3.25.

These metrics, and several others, help DXPE earn a Value grade of A, while FLS has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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