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AMWD or WSC: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Furniture sector have probably already heard of American Woodmark (AMWD - Free Report) and WillScot (WSC - 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.

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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

American Woodmark and WillScot are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that AMWD has an improving earnings outlook. 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 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.

AMWD currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.05, while WSC has a forward P/E of 27.01. We also note that AMWD has a PEG ratio of 1.67. 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. WSC currently has a PEG ratio of 1.80.

Another notable valuation metric for AMWD is its P/B ratio of 2.83. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, WSC has a P/B of 3.22.

Based on these metrics and many more, AMWD holds a Value grade of A, while WSC has a Value grade of D.

AMWD is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that AMWD is likely the superior value option right now.


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